From Within
by Tomo Potter
Summary: Voldemort is attacking Harry in ways nobody could have imagined. Only his soulmate can save him now. AU, Slash. HPDM RLSB RWHG NLLL. NOW WITH REWRITTENY GOODNESS!
1. Prologue

_A/N: Finally got around to rewriting this XD The original was written in March of 2006. This is the rewritten version from 2007-8. Hehe._

_Disclaimer: I do no own them, thus why it is referred to as FANfiction. If I owned them, I'd write out all my potter-fantasies in an eighth book of doom. Which noone would publish. And noone would read. And it'd be NC-17. Tehe._

_Warnings: This story of course contains slash; the act of two boys being in love. It'll also have a nongraphic sex scene later on, and MPreg, though I PROMISE I have a better excuse than "it's magic!" lol._

_AU: Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore are alive, Harry is in 7th year, and Harry lives with Sirius and Remus, who are married. This could ALSO be seen as a potential alternate ending of Canine Affinity/Lupine Attraction... for those who really wanted a happy ending, but didn't get one, because I'm a huge cow. :D_

**From Within - Prologue**

"The time is approaching..." Voldemort smiled, leaning back in his seat. Nagini slithered around him, laying her head gently in his lap. "The spell will take effect soon. And then... then, Harry Potter will be mine." He laughed his most evil laugh, and hissed lovingly to Nagini.

"Yes, my sweet. The time is coming." He cooed to his pet, then turned to Wormtail.

"The plan is in action, Wormtail. I want you to fetch me the Instrument."

"Yes, master." Wormtail said, and then scurried off, to fetch the Dark Lord's greatest weapon against Harry Potter.

"The time is soon. Potter will be helpless against me, when I'm done with him." He laughed an evil, high cackle, Nagini hissing along as though agreeing.


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: All the healers and the like I mention in this story, with the exception of Madame Pomfrey, are OCs from my and Ellen's St Mungos RP. Love them. Worship them. Feed them._

_Oh, and here are some responses to reviews from chapter nine of the old version, before I rewrote it. (HOLYCRAPTHATSTORYWASSOAWFUL! -attempts to claw own eyes out- It raped my mind!)_

_BluePhoenixFairy: I had to drop that from the plot, I'm afraid, though rest assured, there is plenty of Snape-scaring goodness ahead of you. :D_

_sweetteetwo: haha, your reviews continue to make me smile :DDD I really hope you read the revamp :)_

_Akito-Aya: Your review was the one that prompted me to really crack the whip and get this finished :) Haha I was almost done chapter four when I got it, and it made me grin like a madwoman for a good ten minutes, that something so crappy I wrote so long ago could still be liked. That really gave me faith about the rewrite, and I've gone ahead and kept right on writing, just for you :D I really hope you enjoy it!_

_And thanks to Elektra107, anonymous, and anyone who reviewed the original. It was absolutely awful, but all your wonderful responses really prompted me to get my tushie moving, and rewrite it. LOVE YOU ALL!_

**From Within**

"Earthquake!" Remus yelled, leaping hastily out of bed. He was halfway to the door, when he realised that Sirius was still snoring loudly. With an exaggerated sigh, he dashed back, yanking Sirius out of bed by the wrist and dragging him to take cover under the doorway as well. Sirius made a few assorted mumbling groans, and then curled up at Remus' feet, returning to his nap, while the whole house shook violently around them.

"Sirius, wake up!" Remus kicked his husband who groaned and rolled over, facing up at Remus, eyes only opening a tiny sliver.

"Wuzgonon Remus? Whyz the world shaking?" Sirius asked sleepily, rubbing his bleary eyes.

"There's an earthquake!" Remus yanked Sirius to his feet, propping him in the doorway. "You stay here! I'm gonna make sure Harry's okay!" Remus left Sirius to his slow waking up, and dashed up the short flight of stairs to Harry's room. He banged twice on the teenager's door before opening it, opened his mouth to yell at Harry to take cover, and froze.

This was no earthquake.

Harry was lying on the floor, a bright rainbow coloured glow surrounding him. As Remus looked, it became apparent that in some places the glow was fading, and in others it was turning black. Harry himself was shaking violently, levitated a couple of inches off the floor. He appeared to be unconscious, and totally unaware of everything going on, his normally messy black hair sticking out as far as it could in all directions as though he were being electrocuted and indeed, sparks were fizzling wildly from strand to strand. Everything in the room that could break had broken, the window, the photo frames, all the ornaments; even the wood in the chair from Harry's desk had ruptured, and the whole chair was lying in a broken, almost shattered pile among the shards of glass from his former crystal ball. All in all it was a horrific sight, and Remus, after taking what felt like an age - but was in reality just less than a second - to steel himself, ran straight to Harry, ignoring the slicing agony in his feet as he trampled over the shards of glass and various other broken shrapnel to reach his adopted son.

"Harry! Are you okay?" He asked, reaching out to shake the teenager's shoulder, but the instant Remus' hand came into contact with the glowing energy he was flung backwards, smashing hard into the still intact, but highly ruffled bed, snapping one of the wooden beams. He hissed with pain, his whole body shaking violently at the force with which he had been smashed into the bed. Amazingly though, asides from a few bruises and scratches, Remus was fine. Something had cushioned his fall. It wasn't the mattress, that would have been no help with how hard Remus had been slung, it was something else. Shifting and propping himself up on his elbows, Remus realised that the house had stopped shaking. He looked around warily. Harry was now passed out on the floor, in a crater of splintered floorboards, the only area of the floor without any general debris covering it. Remus slowly worked his way into a sitting position, and assessed the situation. Even if the rest of him were just bruised, his feet were sliced to pieces, and running across all that glass again would just be stupid. Harry was unconscious. Sirius was probably asleep. Joy.

After a minute of thinking, and deciding he could do nothing better, Remus laid Harry's duvet atop the glass, crawling over it to reach the boy, who was now snoring lightly, exactly the way his father had done after passing out. Remus knew it would last maybe two minutes, before...

"Hnrgnnnnnnnnnnnnnnkh." Harry snored loudly, and Remus sighed. The first snore was followed by several more like it and despite how worried Remus was, he couldn't help smiling at how characteristically Harry was snoring.

After sitting with him for awhile, just resting, Remus dragged the duvet around, so that it now covered the ground between them and the door, and, standing up now, carried Harry out of the room. And, as though he had suddenly realised what just happened, Remus broke into a run, sprinting down the hall on his bloodied feet, and slinging himself into his and Sirius' room desperately.

Sirius was, of course, fast asleep again, and Remus sighed exasperatedly, laying Harry down on the spare bit of bed, and shaking Sirius as hard as he dared.

"Sirius! Wake up! Something's wrong!" Remus said quietly, and Sirius' tired eyes opened a sliver, before he groaned.

"Remus, goway. I wanna sleep in, for once." He groaned, attempting to bury his head in the covers. Remus ripped them off angrily.

"Sirius! This is serious, and if you make that pun, so help me, I will divorce you! Look, Harry's in a lot of trouble!" He shoved Sirius into a sitting position, and turned him so he could see the boy, now snoring loudly, mouth open, half on and half off the bed.

"Wuzz wrong wit 'im?" Sirius raised an eyebrow, rubbing his face.

Remus sighed. "Come see his room." He tugged Sirius out of bed, dragging him down the hallway to Harry's room, where the disaster was most apparent. Even Harry's glasses, sitting on the warped remains of the bedside table, were shattered. Sirius' eyed widened, his mind finally waking up properly.

"What the hell happened?" He asked, turning to Remus.

"I don't know. When I came in the room was like this, and Harry was in the middle of the crater, glowing." Remus frowned. "I have no idea what happened."

"We should probably floo for a mediwizard." Sirius said, living up to his name, and Remus nodded.

"You go do that. I'll stay with Harry." The lycanthrope said worriedly, kissing his husband softly on the cheek, before Sirius dashed for the lounge.

000

Harry Potter awoke to a general scent of cleanliness. Everything around him was glowing softly, and as he blinked, a few shining gold sparkles crossed in front of his vision. Groggily, he tried to sit up, and felt something jerking him back, holding him in place. In a slight state of panic, Harry tugged at the bonds holding him. After a second of jerking around in futility, someone pointed out "He's awake." After a moment, the sparks vanished, and his restraints lifted.

Harry sat up, clutching his throbbing head. "What happened? Where am I?" He asked in a panic, praying to whatever deity was out there that this wasn't some trap of Voldemort's.

To Harry's relief, the first person that came into fuzzy view (He must not be wearing his glasses) was Remus, smiling wearily. "It's alright Harry, you're at St. Mungos. There was... an accident."

Harry blinked, looking himself up and down. He didn't recall any accident, and his body all seemed to be working fine. He blinked confusedly at Remus, who perceived the question before it was asked.

"You're fine, and we managed to fix your room. It wasn't exactly a... physical accident, so much as... well... they're trying to figure it out."

Harry groaned, flopping back down onto the bed, exhausted already. What was wrong with him? He rubbed his face, asking quietly... "Can I have my glasses?"

He sighed with relief when the familiar round framed glasses were handed to him, and he placed them on his face. Harry would have preferred something a little more fashionable, of course, but Remus and Sirius had insisted, saying he looked just like his dad in them.

"Mr. Lupin-Black?" A short, worried-looking female Healer with a large nose tapped Remus on the shoulder, and muttered something to him. Remus nodded gravely, and turned back to Harry.

"They're worried about your magical aura." Remus sighed, stroking Harry's arm gently. "They're going to bring in a specially trained Reader to see if they can figure out what's wrong."

Harry nodded weakly, sleep already threatening to overtake him. "Remus... think I could catch some sleep? I'm really tired." Harry yawned, his eyelids flickering shut a second later.

"Sure thing, kiddo." Remus smiled, brushing the hair lightly from his scarred forehead, and at the first gentle sleeping breath from Harry, removed Harry's spectacles and sat down in his chair beside the bed, Sirius' one vacant, it's occupant having gotten restless and gone to make tea. Needless to say, the black-haired man was not going to be happy with the fact that he had missed his godson's awakening.

000

The next time Harry awoke the room was far more full. In addition to Sirius and Remus, Remus sitting by Harry's bed, Sirius beside him looking worried, there was the short blonde healer, who was conversing worriedly with a tall man in a lab coat, who seemed to have long pointed ears...? Harry blinked, and the nurse checking his arm noticed, eyes flicking to Harry's face.

"He's awake." She said in a strong Scottish accent, causing a halt in all the doctorly activity as they turned to stare at the dark haired boy in the bed. Remus and Sirius, however, sprang into action, Remus giving Harry his glasses, and Sirius leaping to his feet, grabbing Harry's arm.

"Harry! Are you okay!" He asked urgently, a crazy flash crossing his eyes.

"I would be if you weren't squeezing my arm so hard." Harry smiled slightly, and Sirius sighed in relief, loosening his grip and sitting back down.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Potter?" Asked the Healer, who had hurried back over to the bed. She smiled comfortingly, and some of the worried look left her face. "We've brought Ewa... Healer Walker here to check your magical aura, since we're worried about it. Some of the things Mr. Lupin-Black described could mean... well... we'll just have to see." She smiled a tiny smile, heading back over to the tall man. After she had whispered something to him quickly and, Harry noticed, kissed him softly on the cheek, she left the room, the Scottish nurse following after checking Harry's arm one last time.

"Now." Healer Walked smiled, stepping confidently over to Harry's bedside. "My name is Ewan Walker, and I'm a very different sort of Healer. Most of the people here are used to dealing in physical illnesses, or injuries, whereas I specialise in the healing of the magical and personal aura. If you don't mind, Mr. Potter, I would like to check your aura for anything wrong with it." He smiled calmingly, and Harry took the chance to really look at this strange man. He was very tall, and did indeed have long pointed ears sticking out from his head, with a slight upward turn. They were covered in piercings, and looked very odd to Harry. He also had three long scars down his face, almost similarly to Remus, and his hair was shoulder length and dark red, tied in a short ponytail. His eyes seemed slightly familiar to Harry, but he didn't dwell on it. He wasn't wearing Healer's robes, rather, he was dressed in a Muggle shirt and tie, with a white lab coat over top. Despite the various shocking values of his appearance, Ewan Walker had a fairly pleasant, comforting air to him. Harry turned to look at Sirius and Remus, to try and gauge their reactions to this man. Sirius looked fine with it, but Remus had an odd, slightly wary look on his face, and when Harry looked back, he realised Remus and Ewan's eyes were locked on each other. And then he realised where the similarity lay... Ewan's eyes were exactly the same as Remus' eyes... Ewan was a werewolf.

The intense gaze continued for almost a full minute, Ewan and Remus trying to figure out where they stood with each other. Harry and Sirius had both been around Remus long enough to know not to interfere with the affairs of werewolves, and they stayed quiet while the two stared. Eventually, Remus smiled warmly at Ewan.

"It's nice to meet you, Healer Walker. I'm Remus Lupin-Black, one of Harry's adoptive fathers." He extended a hand, which Ewan shook happily.

"Nice to meet you." Ewan smiled. "I read your book awhile ago, it was quite enlightening. It actually inspired me to become a Healer."

Awhile ago, when money was low, Remus had published a book about how being a werewolf shouldn't restrict your life... It had been a hit among the werewolf community, and for awhile, Remus was being asked for autographs by everyone he met. The hype had died down a bit now, and Remus hadn't bothered to write anything more.

"Wow." Remus smiled. "It's always wonderful to meet a fan."

After that, the atmosphere lost all tension, and Ewan actually sat down on the end of Harry's bed, looking over his charts.

"Okay, I'm going to attempt a reading... I'll check your personal aura first, then your magical. What I'm going to ask you to do is just lie still until I say it's safe to move." Ewan smiled, getting up and standing right over Harry.

"Okay." He smiled nervously, and Ewan smiled relaxingly.

"Right, here goes." After closing his eyes briefly, Ewan fixed his intense golden stare on Harry. Several minutes passed, and the man didn't even blink, something in his eyes unfocusing slightly. Harry was rather unnerved by the whole thing, and had to resist the urge to squirm under such a powerful gaze. Finally, Ewan blinked greatly, and looked away, rubbing his face.

"Everything looks fine." He said after a minute. "You have a healthy, very strong personal aura, and I'll be getting you a full report on it soon. I just have to check your magical one now." He smiled. "It's a much easier process, not so strange as someone staring at you for five minutes." He laughed, drawing his wand. "Just relax, and it'll be over in a second."

Ewan waved his wand, muttering something gently, and a strong tingling vibration spread through Harry's body. Then the glowing began. Slowly but surely, Harry's whole body began to glow, different colours spreading throughout different parts of his body. The glow brightened and brightened, until it was almost blinding, and Harry screwed his eyes shut, the light from his point of view being just unbearable, scorching his retinas.

Ewan frowned. Harry's aura, as Remus had seen before, was broken and darkened, and very clearly unwell. Ewan wrote down several notes, before allowing the blinding light to fade.

"Okay Harry, I'm not going to lie. This is bad. In aura readings, there are different colour-body part relationships that mean certain things. Some colours mean good things, or represent aspects of personality, while others represent illnesses or injuries. Your magical aura is so badly torn to pieces that something must have attacked it. This is powerful magic, it takes a huge amount of skill to actually lash out at someone's aura. I'm not even going to bother asking who might have motive to do this."

Harry nodded gravely. "Lord Voldemort."

Ewan nodded. "Now, there are a few exercises I can help you with to strengthen and repair your aura, but the only thing that can really be done as a permanent cure is a slightly more drastic action." He sighed. "I don't know if you will want to go through with it."

"What is it?" Harry asked, and Ewan sighed.

"Auras, when you meet your soulmate, bond with each other, and help heal each other. Hold on a second... Janet?" He called, and the short blonde Healer came back into the room, smiling lovingly at him. He whispered something to her and she nodded.

"Allow me to demonstrate with my new wife." He smiled, and after pecking the Healer on her plump cheek, waved his wand. Both of their auras came into view strongly, though significantly less bright than Harry's. There was a strong red line connecting the two of their hearts, and Harry could clearly see energy flowing along it, connecting the two of them. Ewan smiled, and the auras faded.

"So you see, the transfer of energy keeps both of our magical auras strengthened. The bond is greater than average because we're married, and Janet is expecting a child. The way I see it, the only permanent cure for you, is to find and marry your soulmate."

A long pause followed this announcement. Sirius and Remus looked at each other, and Harry stared at Ewan, shellshocked. That was... not what he had expected.

"How do I find my soulmate?" Harry said slightly hoarsely, choosing to absorb all the information he could now, and freak out. Definitely a quality he had picked up from Remus.

"I'm going to give you something." Ewan smiled, and whispered to Janet, who nodded, and hurried off. "It's called a soulmate crystal. It looks like an ordinary necklace, but when your soulmate is close, it will heat up, and start to glow slightly. I would advise you to wear it always, since finding your soulmate quickly is important. If this continues the way it is, you could die."

Harry nodded, then blushed. "And what if... what if my soulmate isn't exactly... female..."

"That makes no difference." Ewan said. "Of course..." He added, with an amused smile. "There's a physical difference, obviously, but apart from that, no problem."

Harry sighed. This was all so much to take in. Ewan seemed to sense this, and smiled lightly.

"I'm gonna leave you with your fathers now, to take this all in. Jan... Healer Walker." He gave a slight, amused smile. "Will bring the necklace in in a moment, and shortly after that, I expect Nurse Jacobs will want to check some things." He patted the end of Harry's bed sympathetically, then left.

"Wow." Harry sighed, flopping down onto his pillow, exhausted again. The whole thing had taken a lot out of him, and he was ready to rest.

"Are you okay with this?" Remus asked softly, stroking Harry's arm lightly. Harry nodded lightly, his eyes drifting closed.

"It's not gonna be easy, but yeah, I think I am."

"Well I'm bloody not!" Sirius exclaimed. "Forcing you to get married to someone you might have never even met... It's absurd!"

"But it's got to happen." Harry said with as much force as he could muster. Remus nodded, then took over.

"Anyway, it's not like an arranged marriage or anything, this is Harry's soulmate. His true love. Don't you want something like we have for him?"

"Well, of course, but it's still not right! That sort of thing should happen naturally!"

Harry drifted off to sleep now, trusting Remus to make Sirius see sense, that this was something that had to happen.

_A/N: WOO! I love this first chappie much more than the original :D Expect to see more of Ewan and Janet, and that "Scottish Nurse" lol. Helen wouldn't like to hear that XD_

_But anyway. Huzzah for me writing long improvednesses:D_


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: So this time I'm not jumping straight into the action, I'm actually gonna try and make this story make sense, instead of pushing ahead before the plot is ready._

_That said, this is boring. Let's skip ahead to the Hogwarts Express:D_

_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you recognise. However, this chapter contains more OCs, based on people I know and love. -hearts them- Haha... mostly because I could. And they're my specials. -lovey lovey loveses for my friends-_

_Something else: About three quarters of this song was written to the tune of _Fire (Sexy Dance)_ by _Paulina Rubio._ It's a far cry from my usual in music (I'm more along the lines of _Cradle of Filth-Rob Zombie-Nightwish_ sort of things) but it's a really fantastic, and very passionate, intense song. From now on, it's my sex scene writing music. Not that there's a sex scene in this chapter, but still. A bloody good track. -licks it- So yes, I would like to thank _Paulina Rubio_ for inspiring me x3 without that song, this chapter would not have been written._

**From Within**

"Have you got everything?" Remus asked, sticking his head into Harry's room. The teenager nodded, smiling.

"Yep, this is the lot." Harry said, running his eyes around his room one last time.

"Wearing the necklace?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

Harry sighed. "Yes, even though I hate it, and I'm dreading finding out who it is."

"You might get lucky, might turn out to be someone you have a crush on."

"Doubt it." Harry said gloomily, dragging his trunk out and down the stairs, where Sirius was waiting.

"Ready to apparate?" He asked, smiling brightly. Sirius had gotten over his anger quickly enough when Remus talked it all over with him, and was perfectly alright with things now. Harry nodded, smiling, and each of his godfathers took his hands, the three of them apparating as one.

They arrived at Platform nine and three quarters, which to Harry's intense joy, was bustling and friendly as ever. He waved happily to Neville, who was chatting with Dean and Seamus about something, and was going to head over and say hi, when it happened. Time seemed to slow down for Harry as the burning sensation began on his chest. A flash of light peeked out of the thick fabric of his school robes, and his eyes scanned the platform desperately. He could see Neville, Seamus, Dean, a large gaggle of girls all watching one Hufflepuff, who was apparently doing something hilarious, because they were all falling about laughing. Beyond them was the back of Draco Malfoy's head, Crabbe and Goyle flanking him as ever, as he conversed with Pansy Parkinson. In front of them a bunch of Ravenclaw boys who looked to be in their third year or so were discussing homework animatedly, and a group of Gryffindor fifth-years walked past in front of it all, laughing and teasing each other happily. As they passed, the glowing faded and the burning died, leaving Harry wondering. Neville, Seamus, and Dean were still there, as was the group of third years. Obviously, therefore, it was none of them. Someone at the school though, was apparently Harry's perfect match.

Well, that narrowed things down.

Harry turned to Sirius, who was giving him a worried look, to say something, but was interrupted by a cloud of brown hair, almost tackling him off his feet.

"Hey Hermione." Harry smiled weakly, returning her hug. "How was your holiday?"

"Oh, fine." She smiled, stepping back blushing slightly. "I went and stayed with Ron for awhile after I got back from Paris with my parents, I just wish you could have come."

Harry nodded. "Sorry about that. I was... held up."

Hermione smiled. "No problem. It actually wasn't totally horrible spending time with just Ron, even if he can be a bit of a git sometimes."

"You made him study?" Harry laughed, feeling his cares lift slightly. The ever familiar bickering of his two best friends was a welcome diversion from his life, and for a while Harry enjoyed just being around Hermione, and Ron, who showed up five minutes later. Once he had gotten onto the Hogwarts Express for what was to be his last trip to a new school year however, Harry's happiness melted away. He sat in silence watching the window, while Ron and Hermione laughed about something. Already Harry was missing his fathers, he always did right at the start of the year. He pulled the Aura report Ewan had given him out of his pocket, and read it for the umpteenth time, going over and over everything he had said.

_MAGICAL AURA; Harry James Potter. _

_Head: Has a clear orange halo, obviously strong leader. Large white spot over scar, unsurprisingly, with mustard edges. Has a few gray thoughts, only natural._

_Right (wand) arm: Strong blue and turquoise, mixed with splotches of yellow. _

_Left arm: Similar to right arm, though not as powerful._

_Chest: Powerful blues and turquoises, mixed with green and orange, especially over heart. Very strong yellow hints as well._

_Legs: Similar to rest of body, not really worth noting._

_PERSONAL AURA; Harry James Potter._

_Head: Predominantly orange, with gray thoughts dotted throughout, and white/mustard over scar. _

_Chest/Arms: Very turquoise, has a strong turquoise layer all round self. Mixed with green and orange here and there._

_Lower body: Turqoises and blues, mixed with a few good yellows and oranges._

_DAMAGES; Harry James Potter_

_Personal: Beyond the scar, which I suspect will never heal, Harry has a strong, healthy aura for a seventeen year old male. His aura indicates a very powerful leader, and a strong person, which is hardly surprising._

_Magical: Has practically been torn to shreds. White splotches cover the whole body, while in places the aura is actually torn, and missing. Recommend urgent attention._

_Signed_

_Ewan Walker, A.H._

Harry had already read the report over and over, and each time it made less and less sense to him. Ewan had given Harry a few resource books, which would help him understand it. The white and mustard colours over his scar, for example, were representative of death, and pain without relief. Unsurprising, really. Sighing, Harry forced himself to put the report away, and try to focus on what Ron and Hermione were talking about.

"I still think it's not right throwing them out of the garden!" Hermione was saying indignantly, and Ron rolled his eyes.

"Hermione, they're gnomes. They don't even think. It's no big deal, it doesn't hurt them or anything."

"You're throwing them out of their homes!" She cried. "It's horrific."

Harry groaned slightly, deciding not to get involved. Joy, joy, nothing to distract him from his problems, and nothing to do about them. There was of course, the minor bit of relief that neither Ron nor Hermione was his soulmate, clearly. Harry was dwelling on this, and stewing about who it _could _be, in that case, when Hermione nudged him.

"Harry? Are you okay? You looked like you were about to fall asleep." She asked, slightly concernedly.

"I'm fine, Hermione." He smiled, sitting up. "Just... thinking about a lot of the stuff that happened over the holidays."

"What was it?" She blinked, attempting in vain to push her brown hair back behind her ear.

"It..." Harry hesitated, before sighing. He would have to tell them eventually, it might as well be now. Besides, Harry had kept things from Ron and Hermione before, and it had done none of them any good. "Voldemort's done something to me. More like... to my magical aura. I don't really understand it all, but he's sort of... attacking my magic. Pieces of my aura are just... gone, and some are dead, and some are damaged. Nobody can figure out exactly... how he's done all this to me, but it's happened, and it's affecting my magic."

Hermione was very pale, and when she spoke, it was slightly muffled by her hands over her mouth in horror. "Is there anything that can be done?"

"Well..." Harry hesitated. Now or never, he supposed. "When people are truly in love, their auras can sort of... bond, and they support each other magically. So I have to find... and marry my soulmate, and preferably have a child, before it's too late."

"Harry, mate, that's... horrible." Ron said sadly, giving him a sympathetic pat on the back. "If there's anything I can do... you know, besides the obvious."

Harry laughed slightly. "It's fine, Ron. I'm dealing with it." He smiled, his heart warming with the strength of his friends' love for him. "They gave me this necklace that glows when you find your soulmate, and hopefully it'll help." He showed the two of them the crystal, which was dull and lifeless at the moment. "So I'm sure it's not either of you. It was glowing on the platform though, which means it's someone from school."

"Or one of their parents or siblings." Hermione said in a quiet, yet sensible way, that was unique to Hermione.

Harry nodded, feeling his heart sink slightly at this bit of sense. Hermione was absolutely right, and he hadn't even thought of it. That was not going to make this easy.

"Anything off the trolly, dears?" Smiled the food trolly witch, coming up to their compartment. She was surrounded by the usual mob of hungry students, and Harry got up to order some food for the three of them, for what could be the last time.

And then he froze.

The burning was back on his skin, and he looked around the group assembled around the carriage desperately. He didn't know most of their names, but some of the girls who had been assembled on the platform before were there, including the blonde, who was now laughing at something a friend of hers said, and pulling a silly face. She was quite pretty, Harry realised, and looked nice enough. Still... it could be anyone else, really. The only people at the trolly whose names he knew, however, were Draco Malfoy, who flipped Harry off absently as he walked away with his supply of sweets, and Ginny Weasley, who waved lightly at Harry, and smiled at him, before departing with her snacks.

The crystal faded, and he looked around. Most of the people had gone with their food, and it was impossible to tell who it could have been. Hurriedly, he ordered them some snacks for the train ride, and settled back into the compartment with Ron and Hermione.

"It's someone here." He said, sitting back down next to Ron, across from Hermione, who blinked in confusion, and he explained further.

"The crystal started up when I went to get snacks. It's someone here, and they were just getting some food from the trolly."

"You should make a list of who was there!" Hermione said urgently, rummaging in her bag for parchment and a quill. "Just put down genders, basic appearances, Houses and years, and names if you know them, and I'll figure out who it was." She smiled, pushing the parchment towards him. "Quickly, before you forget!" She added, and Harry sighed and took it, pondering on the scene. After a minute's recollection, he scrawled down all the descriptions, then handed the list to Hermione, to see if she could put names to any of them.

_Draco Malfoy, Male, Blond git, Slytherin, Seventh year. Please god, no._

_Ginny Weasley, Female, Ron's sister, Gryffindor, Sixth year._

_Unknown, Female, shoulder length curly blonde hair and nice smile, Hufflepuff, Seventh year._

_Unknown, Female, short spiky blonde hair and short, Slytherin, Seventh year._

_Unknown, Male, long brown hair and VERY tall, Ravenclaw, Seventh year._

_Unknown, Male, long curly blond hair and very short, Gryffindor, Second year. (Hopefully NOT.)_

_Unknown, Female, shoulder length blond hair, with diagonal fringe in her face and very tall, Hufflepuff, Sixth year._

_Unknown, Male, short brown hair and smile, Ravenclaw, Seventh year._

_Unknown, Female, brown skin very long black hair and big smile, Hufflepuff, Sixth year._

_Unknown, Female, plump with long black hair seen talking to first unknown and a couple of the others, Gryffindor, Seventh year._

Hermione frowned, scribbling on the parchment, and then handed it to Ron to fill in who he knew. This year they were Head Boy and Girl together, so they had to know a fair few of the school's population. Eventually Harry got it back, with scrawls and crossings out all over it, and three sets of handwriting making it impossible to decipher. Eventually though, he made it out to see that most of these people now had names.

_Draco Malfoy, Male, Blond git, Slytherin, Seventh year. Please god, no._

_Ginny Weasley, Female, Ron's sister, Gryffindor, Sixth year. _and then in Ron's messy handwriting; _It better bloody not be._

_Birch Stevens, Female, shoulder length curly blonde hair and nice smile, Hufflepuff, Seventh year._

_Unknown, Female, short spiky blonde hair and short, Slytherin, Seventh year._

_Zack Bruther, Male, long brown hair, glasses, and VERY tall, Ravenclaw, Seventh year._

_Merrick Stevens , Male, long curly blond hair and very short, Gryffindor, Second year. (Hopefully NOT.) _And in Hermione's neat hand she had added _Birch Stevens' brother._

_Brooke Winters, Female, shoulder length blond hair, with diagonal fringe in her face and very tall, Hufflepuff, Sixth year._

_Alex Hook, Male, short brown hair and smile, Ravenclaw, Seventh year._

_Unknown, Female, brown skin very long black hair and big smile, Hufflepuff, Sixth year._

_Hannah Katz, Female, plump with long black hair seen talking to first unknown and a couple of the others, Gryffindor, Seventh year._

Harry looked the list up and down, then smiled. "This is great guys, thanks. It's great to have it narrowed down so much already."

Hermione smiled. "Anytime. If you need help, I can track most of them down for you, and we can see who it is once and for all."

"That'd be fantastic Hermione, thanks." Harry smiled warmly. Ron clapped him on the shoulder.

"We're here for ya mate, even if it turns out to be bloody Malfoy you're fated to marry"

Harry shuddered in mock disgust, and they passed the rest of the trip with light banter, and happy conversation about less serious subjects.

000

For the remainder of the train trip, and the carriage ride up to school Harry Ron and Hermione shared with Neville and Luna, there was no sign of life in the crystal, which was a relief for Harry. As the students all mingled on their way into the Great Hall however, there was a burning on his chest once more. He walked past Draco Malfoy being yelled at by Ginny, for teasing the girl Birch, and a couple of her friends from the trolly and platform. Harry vaguely wondered if Ginny were his perfect match. She was nice enough, and rather pretty, and she was definitely a ferocious girl, and much more powerful than she seemed. She and Harry would make a nice pair, now that he thought about it. As Malfoy stalked away to rejoin his minions, the group of girls pounced on Ginny to thank her, and Hermione nudged Harry, having apparently noticed the spot of light on his chest.

"Those are the girls?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, they're nice enough. That Birch is just as fiery as Ginny, and so is Hannah. Brooke is really nice, and I know those other two are as well, though I don't know their names. The dark skinned one is Samoan though." She smiled. Harry smiled warmly, and Hermione pulled him away.

"Come on, I don't think now is the time. You should wait."

Harry nodded. "I suppose. Let's go have some dinner."

000

That night, Harry couldn't sleep. He sat in his bed, staring at the names on his list, wondering about the nameless ones, and the names he had crossed off. Zack and Alex had not been present at the confrontation, and so it wasn't them. That left seven potential perfect matches for Harry. Well... Eight, but really Malfoy shouldn't even count, there was no way in hell that Draco Malfoy could even begin to be considered as a soulmate for Harry. The mere idea was laughable. Harry couldn't hold back a quiet snicker as he imagined himself and Draco as a couple... walking around town holding hands, feeding each other ice cream, staring into a baby cradle, arms around each other lovingly. The whole thing was just so insane, so totally unlikely, that Harry actually considered crossing Draco off his list. He did not however, because as his quill point hovered over the parchment, the imagined scenes flashed through his head again, and this time they seemed less insane, and more, somehow... right. Harry sighed, and sat up. Okay, that was odd. Himself and Malfoy, feeling _right_? Bloody ludicrous! Harry shook his head lightly, thinking to himself _'I must be going crazy.' _

Harry rubbed his face, setting the list and quill aside for now. He needed a walk. A walk and a think. He slid out of bed, grabbing the Cloak, and tiptoeing out of the dorm, careful not to wake any of his roommates.

He passed through the common room silently, where the light from the fireplace was almost extinguished, and the only two people out of bed were Hannah Katz, and Merrick Stevens, doing the last of their summer homework in silence. Harry sighed in deep relief. The crystal had stayed dormant, and continued in that state as he slipped silently out of the portrait hole, unnoticed by either of the half asleep occupants of the common room.

For a good hour or so, Harry just wandered around the school, undisturbed by any of the occupants. At one point, he had a close call with Filch, but Harry escaped that near-encounter undetected, and continued his walk.

As he drew close to the kitchens, wondering if a midnight snack would do any good, however, there was a sudden burning flash, and the crystal shot into full flare, nearly blinding Harry in the confined space of the cloak.

"Who's there?" He asked in an urgent whisper, and there was a rustling not far off, and a figure running as though their life depended on it. Harry attempted to give chase, to see who it was, but all he was rewarded with was the heel of a shoe, as the night time prowler Harry was fated to be with vanished around a corner.

Harry sighed, slamming the side of his fist into the wall. He had been so close! And they had gotten away, just like that. How bloody fucking typical.

Not hungry anymore, Harry retired back to his dorm, tossing and turning sleeplessly in his bed for the remainder of the night.

_A/N: I'm going to end the chapter there. Oooooo who is it? Find out next chapter hahah. Big hugs to my friends, who as I must state again, are awesome, and I love. HEARTZORZ FOR YOU GUYS! x333_


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: My heartfelt hugs go out to; my friends, who are also my OCs in this particular story, Ellen, whose RP with me brought forth these Healers into the world, JK Rowling, for creating Harry Potter, and anyone who reviews! YAY!_

_Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by some genius cow called JK Rowling, who thinks Harry and Ginny together is cute. WELL IT ISN'T!_

_Note: Yes, I did have some Harry/Ginny moments in the last chapter, and in a bit of this one. But don't worry, this is a Harry/Draco. I was just sidetracking slightly because well... Harry is a teenage boy who badly needs to get some action. Think he's just gonna ignore a pretty girl? Neither did I XD_

_Thanks again to _Paulina Rubio_, whose song _Fire (Sexy Dance)_ practically wrote this chapter as well x3_

**From Within**

"Harry, mate, you look like you haven't slept all night. Have something to eat!" Ron said over breakfast, to a Harry who was crumpled on his empty plate, head resting heavily on his arms.

"I didn't sleep. I went for a walk, and crossed two more names off my list... Hannah and Merrick were in the Common Room finishing off their homework from summer, and it didn't react to either of them. Whoever it was though, they were out there too. I almost caught up with them, but all I saw was a shoe." Harry groaned, not moving.

Hermione rubbed his back soothingly. "Well not eating won't help Harry, you've got to have something. We'll worry about your mystery partner later, right now it's time to eat."

Harry sat up at this sage advice; Hermione was right as usual, his stomach was actually painful with hunger. As he reached for a piece of toast, his eyes caught Ginny a long way down the table, laughing happily with her friends. Harry watched her as he buttered his toast, wondering if she could be his ideal match. Ginny was very good looking, certainly, and she was a great person. In fact, sitting here now, Harry felt as though Ginny was indeed the girl for him, and his musings of the past night, of a future between himself and Malfoy, all seemed frivolous, like some sort of stupid daydream.

Hermione and Ron got up now, having eaten as quickly as they could, and now began, between them, to pass out people's timetables. Harry was first to receive his from Ron, and groaned as he saw it. Double Charms before lunch, then Herbology, then Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts. All were fairly good classes, but he was still not looking forwards to them. The staff had changed again this year; Snape had been put back on Potions, following the mysterious disappearance of Horace Slughorn, and their new Defence teacher was yet to be announced. By this point, Harry was fairly indifferent. As long as they weren't as bad as Umbridge or Lockhart had been, he didn't really care; he knew he knew enough on that particular subject to pass his NEWTs several times over. Besides, Harry had bigger mysteries to ponder.

"ATTENTION, STUDENTS." Dumbledore had gotten to his feet, and silence fell over the hall, just as Ron and Hermione retook their seats at the Gryffindor table.

"As you may have noticed, a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is yet to be announced for this year. Indeed, I only owled our new teacher last night, and he has just arrived, and settled into his quarters with his husband."

At this, Harry blinked, and there were several shocked, and appalled gasps among the student body. Sure, for decades now it had been legal for gays to marry, but it was still a little-heard of occurrence, and was suitably shocking to the students. However, Dumbledore raised his hand again, and silence fell, the entire student body now twice as eager to see who their new teacher was.

"Allow me to introduce... or re-introduce, your Defence teacher... Remus John Lupin-Black!" Dumbledore led the wild applause, made many times more powerful by those who were old enough to remember the last time Remus had taught. As though on cue, as the applause started, the doors opened, and Remus walked happily, followed by a bouncing Sirius. Harry was overjoyed to see his fathers again, and raced over to hug the two of them, who returned the embrace happily.

"It's so good to see you!" Harry cried, loving every second of the embrace from two of the four people who meant the whole world to him, the other two standing at the Gryffindor table, applauding wildly.

"When I wrote to Albus about your condition, he suggested we might like to be closer to you this year, and offered me the job again." Remus smiled, ruffling Harry's hair lovingly.

While Remus was eager to talk and catch up, Sirius seemed to have absolutely no words to express how glad he was to see Harry happy and safe, and that he would get to be there for the entire year with the boy, showing Harry how he felt entirely through the tight hug he was engulfed in. While Harry loved Remus dearly, and Remus formed an integral part of their little family, Harry had always felt the strongest bond with Sirius, who he knew was loyal to the end, and would crawl naked through a swimming pool of razor blades to save Harry. The man's affection had always touched Harry to his core, and he never ceased to be stunned by how much Sirius loved him, and the ways the boisterous, long-haired man demonstrated it. Now, for example, after a long and meaningful hug in front of the whole school, no less, Sirius transformed into Padfoot, the massive black dog Harry had grown up with as a playmate, and bounced all around him barking delightedly, as Harry laughed madly.

"Sirius, Sirius, calm down. Sit! We can play fetch later, but right now I'm supposed to be eating." He laughed, and Padfoot transformed back into Sirius, whose handsome face was almost split in half by the size of his huge grin.

Without so much as a glance at the staff table, Sirius and Remus went to sit with Harry at the Gryffindor table, greeting Ron and Hermione warmly. By now, most people had returned to their meals, and Sirius and Remus were free to play catch up, without too much interruption.

"How goes the hunt, Harry?" Sirius asked, somehow managing to speak around a mouthful of bacon. Remus sighed, and elbowed his husband.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Sirius, it's disgusting.

"The hunt is... well... we think we've narrowed it down to about six." Harry sighed, handing the list to Remus, who read it with Sirius, both frowning.

_Draco Malfoy, Male, Blond git, Slytherin, Seventh year._

_Ginny Weasley, Female, Ron's sister, Gryffindor, Sixth year._

_Birch Stevens, Female, shoulder length curly blonde hair and nice smile, Hufflepuff, Seventh year._

_Unknown, Female, short spiky blonde hair and short, Slytherin, Seventh year._

_Brooke Winters, Female, shoulder length blond hair, with diagonal fringe in her face and very tall, Hufflepuff, Sixth year._

_Unknown, Female, brown skin very long black hair and big smile, Hufflepuff, Sixth year._

Sirius nodded, returning the list to Harry. "Who do you think it's most likely to be?" He asked, mouth empty now, giving Harry a serious, intense look, that Harry had only seen on his Godfather's face when speaking about Order matters, or of Harry's father. It was a look that meant business.

"Well... not Malfoy. I dunno... Ginny? She's really nice, and pretty too." He smiled slightly.

Remus nodded. "As I recall, she's a very good witch, with a fiery streak. She was very nice."

"What do you know about the others?" Harry asked, now wondering why he hadn't thought of asking Remus before. He would have taught all of them.

"Well I'll skip Draco, since you know all about him. Birch... Birch was a good witch, but not much of a hard worker. She seems quite popular, and friendly. The spiky haired girl's name is Fiona, and she's Birch's best friend. She's very hyperactive, and excitable. Brooke is very shy, though she seemed to enjoy spending time with her friends, and laughed quite a lot around Birch. The last one's name is Melissa, and she's an incredibly sweet, thoughtful girl. All of them are friends, and they're all really nice people."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, adding the last two names to his list. As he wrote, however, Melissa and Brooke walked past, on their way to Birch, from getting some porridge from down the table. They smiled at Harry, and he smiled back, then groaned, crossing their names off the list.

"Nothing." He said gloomily. "Four left." He looked down the table hopefully at Ginny, who was exchanging a couple of words with Brooke and laughing. With every name that left the list, Ginny had remained there, and he was more hopeful than ever. More and more, Harry was seeing how wonderful Ginny was, and how great they could be together. He shot her a quick smile, which she returned, and Brooke and Melissa giggled.

"Aww." Hermione teased, poking Harry's arm lightly. "Someone's got a cruuuuush..." She giggled, and Ron looked mortified.

"No way, Harry. You better hope for your own bloody sake that this thing turns out to be one of those other two, because if you marry my sister, I'm coming for you." He said threateningly, and Harry laughed. Ron was overprotective to the point of being funny.

"Would you rather she married, say... Dean? Or what about Seamus, I know he's had his eye on her for awhile." Harry mused.

"Shut up, you git." Ron glared at him. "Those two would rather go after Malfoy, if you ask me."

Harry choked on his pumpkin juice. "Ron! For the last time, shut up about that!"

All of them laughed, and the friendly banter continued for awhile. Harry, despite his situation, felt like just for awhile, he could be safe and happy, and stop worrying, just enjoy the company of his friends... no... his family, because by now, Ron and Hermione had proven themselves to be much more than just best friends. They were pretty much his brother and sister, he loved them as much as he loved Sirius and Remus, and their friendship was so strong, he felt like nothing could tear it apart. For awhile, Harry felt free to just sit there with his brother, his sister, and his fathers, and laugh, and not worry about Voldemort or schoolwork, or his soulmate, or any of that stuff.

Of course, however, breaks like this could never last forever, and breakfast was only on the tables for an hour. It was Remus who departed first, explaining that he had to get ready for class. Padfoot bounded after him, after licking Harry's cheek, and stealing the last piece of his toast. After that, Hermione and Ron dragged Harry up, Hermione insisting that being late to their first lesson would not be an ideal start to the year, and Ron siding with her, because... Well, Harry had noticed more and more lately, that Ron and Hermione were becoming closer and closer, and not in a siblingly way, like they were close to Harry. They often blushed around each other, and would sneak glances when the other wasn't looking. Ron was becoming more studious around Hermione, and Hermione laughed slightly too loudly at all of Ron's jokes, though just not too-loud enough that he would notice. Harry felt happy for them; if they could find happiness with each other, then they had his blessings. To tell the truth, Harry had sort of been expecting this for a long time now, and the fact that it was taking the two involved so long was almost infuriating.

Harry acquiesced to their request, heading to Charms with the Hufflepuffs. As he walked, he came close to the spiky haired girl, Fiona, who was laughing with Melissa, and he sighed. Not her, either, then. Harry crossed her off the list as he walked, explaining quickly to Ron and Hermione, and Harry didn't realise until he reached the charms classroom. Birch, Ginny's last competition would be here.

And there she was, giggling madly with Hannah, but a few feet away. There was no flash of heat. Harry beamed.

"Guys." He whispered. "It's not Birch." He pointed to the blonde, who was now doing a stupid impression of a monkey, while her friend doubled over laughing, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot laughing with them. "I've got nothing from the gem."

Ron moaned disappointedly, the inevitability of Harry and his sister now sinking in. "No bloody way. She was the last hope!"

000

Charms class and Transfiguration passed slowly, Harry longing to get a chance to talk to Ginny, to explain it all to her. She wasn't at lunch however, having apparently had a potions accident working with Neville, who had been held back to her year in that particular class.

Finally came the only class Harry was looking forwards to, Defence Against the Dark Arts, with Professor Remus John Lupin-Black. He, Ron, and Hermione were the first ones there, and got themselves good seats, right at the very front of the room. Remus was already behind his desk, and smiled warmly at all of them.

"Welcome, students." He smiled warmly, once the whole classroom was full. "I'm sure all of you remember me, from your third year. It truly is wonderful to see all of you again, and to see how much you have grown. I hope, however, that you are not on the same level magically as last time I was here." He said sternly, though with a smile, and several people laughed.

"Well, today we're going to start on Vampires. Who knows which spells will kill a Vampire... Miss Granger?"

And so the lesson began, Harry enjoying the class more than ever. Especially since Sirius came in halfway through the lesson, apparently lost, as he was dressed only in a towel.

"Shit." He had sworn, and backed out of the room as quickly as he could, to the laughter of all the students, and the minor embarassment of Remus, who laughed anyway.

After class, Remus kept Harry back for a minute, explaining that Ewan had some exercises to teach him, that would strengthen his aura, and hopefully lengthen the amount of time he had, as well as answer any questions Harry had accumulated. Ewan was going to floo in after dinner, for what was to become a nightly session, which would include Harry's soulmate as soon as he was sure of their identity. Harry nodded at this news, perfectly happy with it, and headed to dinner.

All things considered, Harry supposed he was happier than he had any right to be, given the circumstances. All through dinner he laughed with his family, enjoying every second of it, and after that he headed to his meeting with Ewan.

000

"Good evening, Mr. Potter." The healer smiled when Harry arrived, having explained to Ron and Hermione that he had to go to this... whatever this was. "Have a seat."

Harry sat down, observing their location. They were in a room that had once been a classroom, but the only remaining fixture of it's teaching days was the chalk-dusted blackboard set into the far wall. Where there were usually desks, a few comfortable armchairs were assembled, and Ewan now sat down in one as well, facing Harry with a serious look on his usually cheery face.

"How is the search going?" He asked in a casual tone that utterly defied the look on his face, and made Harry blink and have to stop for a second, and contemplate what he had actually said, before being able to answer.

"Fairly well. We're pretty sure we narrowed it down to two, and one of them isn't even worth thinking about." He smiled, and Ewan shook his head.

"Nobody can be discounted just because you don't like them. Ja-" Ewan began, but Harry interrupted.

"But I don't just not like him, I hate... no, I LOATHE Malfoy! He's been my enemy as long as I've been here!" He cried passionately, and Ewan smiled.

"Well then, tell me about this other possibility." He said, leaning back in his chair, fingers interlaced in front of his face, elbows resting lightly on the arms of the chair.

"Well... she's really pretty." He said awkwardly. "And nice, and funny. And she's got one hell of a temper." Harry smiled, blushing slightly.

Ewan nodded, his glinting golden eyes clearly noticing everything Harry did. "Mhmm. She sounds like a nice girl. Well, before we start on aura training, I should probably tell you some things about the soulmate bond. What a lot of people don't know is that true love is founded on only one thing; passion. Your parents, for example... from what your fathers have told me, they were incredibly passionate around each other, even before being a couple. The same is true of... say, the Weasleys. I was at Hogwarts at the same time as their eldest son, and I know from visits to the house that his parents have extreme passion for each other, and that they love each other deeply. As for Jan and I, we loathed each other with a passion for years. But that's just it... the passion drew us together, and we're married now." He smiled a warm smile, having apparently forgotten Harry was there. The boy looked around uncomfortably, and before long, Ewan came back to himself.

"Ah... yes. So passion is the most important element of a soulmate bond, the form it takes is irrelevant. The next thing that comes is understanding; a sort of empathy. Having something major in common. A lot of couples bond over that alone. Of course, chances are you'll have a lot of minor things, like... loving quidditch in common, but the major things are the ones to look out for, like having grown up without any real friends, or having no real parents. That's the one that brought Janet and I together, she's an orphan, and my parents practically disowned me when I became a werewolf... they locked me in the shed, and fed me three times a day." He sighed, frowning now, and Harry could sense the man going off into another world again, but he didn't quite dare to disturb him. Instead, he coughed politely, and Ewan came back to reality. "Yes... so those are the two most important elements of the soulmate bond. Everything else is, by comparison, irrelevant."

000

The remainder of the session was a blur to Harry. Ewan had taught him some breathing and meditation techniques that would help improve the quality of his aura, and hold off whatever this was doing to him. Harry didn't get back to the Common Room until late, and Ron and Hermione had gone to bed. He collapsed straight into bed himself, ignoring the pile of homework he had accumulated, and lay there for a good hour, tossing and turning. He looked at the two remaining names on the parchment over and over, pondering on everything Ewan had said. He had a feeling that, as space-y as the man seemed to be, he knew a lot more about Harry than he would ever let on. In a lot of things, he had hit the nail on the head for Harry, making him wonder. Ginny was a fiercely passionate girl, that was for sure, but Harry did not feel passionate about her, not really. As for Malfoy... Well... he didn't even want to think about that right now. That possibility was just too... no. Harry sat up, deciding in an instant that he needed to go for a walk again. He grabbed the cloak and headed out into the darkness, moving as quietly as he could.

Harry didn't quite know how he did it, but he wound up back near the kitchens, in the place his necklace had started glowing last night. He looked around, making sure there was noone around, and then began to scour the area, just in case.

Just as Harry was about to give up the hunt for tonight and go back to bed there was a flicker, and then a flash. His head snapped up, looking all around. They were right here. Straining his ears, Harry heard soft footsteps coming towards him... He was frozen to the spot, he could not move. All he could do was stand and wait as his soulmate, the one person on this planet who was perfect for him, came walking ever closer to him in a way so dramatic it seemed that this should have been a scene in a movie or something. Harry's fingers tightened on the Invisibility Cloak, his eyes hardly daring to look. They were very close now, Harry could actually smell a slightly feminine scent of flowery hair product or something.

And then a black school shoe rounded the corner, followed shortly by it's owner.

And Harry could not believe his eyes.

Draco Lucius Malfoy, the prince of Slytherin, was walking straight towards him, and the crystal was getting so hot it was painful, but Harry ignored the searing on his skin, eyes locked on the blond walking in careful, measured steps towards him, his perfect locks scented lightly of flower petals.

_A/N: Oh noes! It's Draco! We could have never seen that coming!_

_End sarcasm._

_Haha. Next chapter, Draco is disgusted, Harry is MORE disgusted, and somebody steals Remus' cupcake:O Oh noes!_

_Hmm. I should make Remus sing the milkshake song. Yes, I should. :D_


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: XD I'm having a party later today! Haha we're gonna dress up as wizards and watch the fifth movie, which I just got on DVD. It'll be AWESOME. XD hahaha._

_Disclaimer: Me no ownie._

_WARNING: Snogging ensues! D_

_Dedication: To xX-Fiona-Xx (who is my sexy witch), and the others coming to my party; Knickers, Morgasm, Sarah-bear, and Amy. You guys are for the winzorz. _

_And thanks once again to_ Paulina Rubio _and her song_ Fire (Sexy Dance). _And also to _Rob Zombie, _for just being hardcore in general._

_Oh, and also. By the time I got up to the Harry vs. Ron screaming match, I had just been in a huge argument about something stupid. So yeah... that bit was pretty rage-fuelled -sweatdrops-_

**From Within**

"Oh, hell no." Harry whispered lightly, as the blond walked towards him, totally ignorant of his presence. His fingers loosened unnoticed, and the invisibility cloak fluttered to the ground, Harry's sudden appearance freezing Malfoy where he was, so close that the crystal's brilliant glow was visible even through Harry's flannel pyjamas.

"Ack... Potter?" Malfoy spat in disgust, shading his eyes delicately with one hand. "Could you turn down the necklace? Just because you're already blind as a bat doesn't mean I need to have idiotic glasses too. They'd spoil my looks."

Harry just gaped at Malfoy, not able to move a muscle in shock. Malfoy snorted in clear disdain, doubtlessly irritated by Harry's unresponsiveness.

"Well if you're just gonna stand there, then I might as well be on my way. No point tormenting you if you just bloody stand there." He said snootily, and brushed past Harry, who was standing dead still, his mind still not quite connecting what had just happened. And even as Malfoy walked away, and the crystal faded, the circuits in his brain connected, and he raced after Malfoy, grabbing the Invisibility Cloak, and tearing the necklace from his neck for good measure as he ran.

When Harry rounded the corner into the corridor connecting to the kitchen, he actually collided with Malfoy, sending both of them stumbling in different directions.

"Finally decided to talk to me now, have we Potter?" Malfoy sneered, folding his arms and trying to pretend he hadn't been affected at all by the crash. "Though I must say, I thought Umbridge had taught you what happens when you use physical violence on me."

"Shut up Malfoy." Harry said breathlessly, squeezing the crystal angrily in his fist, as though this were somehow it's fault. How in the hell could someone like Malfoy be his soulmate It was absurd even thinking about it. "I need to talk to you. Now."

"What, finally decided to admit that I'm better than you, but didn't have the nerve to do it in front of anyone else?" Malfoy sneered at him, hands on his hips now in a gesture that, now that Harry thought about it, was rather feminine. "Or perhaps you've come to terms with the fact that no woman will ever touch you, and fancied a quick snog in a closet."

"Shut up." Harry repeated. "This is serious. It's important." Harry's emotions right now were so higgledy-piggledy that behind Malfoy, a vase cracked, and then shattered into a thousand pieces with a resounding smash noise. Both boys jumped in shock, and stared at each other in horror when, a second later, they heard Filch's heavy footsteps, and the sound of him cooing something affectionate and vaguely disturbing to his cat.

"In here!" Harry whispered, dragging Malfoy hurriedly into a hidden room behind a portrait of a plump, smiling witch with blonde-brown hair, and a slightly mischievous look about her, whose name was apparently Derin Stevens, an ancestor of Birch's, perhaps. He and Ron had discovered it in fourth year, and used it occasionally as a hiding place where they could relax, and have an illicit drink or a chat away from their housemates. It was a small, cosy room with a small enclosed fireplace that always seemed to be burning, two comfortable chairs, and a few shelves with a sparse assortment of dusty books affixed to the walls. Harry shoved Malfoy down in one chair, slammed the portrait, and flopped into the other chair, panting slightly.

"He won't find us." Harry said almost reassuringly, rubbing his face. "This room is totally undetectable, there are silencing spells all around it. We're safe."

"Well whoop-de-doo. In case you hadn't noticed, Potter, I am still trapped in this small, undeniably Gryffindorian room, with you, whom I despise." Malfoy spat, rubbing his head lightly. "I have a headache already."

"Malfoy, would you just shut it? I need to talk to you seriously, and I would appreciate it if you would actually listen." Harry glared at the blond, who snorted.

"And just what makes you think I want to hear anything you have to say?" Malfoy said, folding his arms again. "I honestly just don't care."

"This is important Malfoy. It's not about... well, not just about you. It's also about your future, and the safety of everyone on this planet."

"And I'm supposed to care about those things?" Malfoy actually laughed. "I already have a future laid out for me, by my darling father. Marry some pureblood bitch, raise some brats, be generally snooty and evil, follow the Dark Lord. Thrilling life ahead of me, no?"

"And what would you do if I told you I could help you change that?" Harry leaned forward, acting on impulse now, and not expecting much from it. But what the hell. Might as well try.

"I... you can't." Malfoy was looking away from him now, his eyes sparkling ever so slightly with wetness. "It's too late for me."

"It's never too late. Listen to me." Harry said determinedly, and after a second, Malfoy turned to face Harry straight on, silver eyes burning into Harry's green ones.

And Harry was blown away by that gaze... it affected him so much that he flinched slightly... not in fear, but with something else. There was something fierce and primal in the way they looked at each other, something passionate, deeper than any gaze Harry had ever shared with anyone before, and he knew that Malfoy was willing to hear him out.

"Voldemort's done something to me." Harry began, taking a deep breath. "To my magical aura. It's unstable. And the only thing that can fix it for me is to marry my soulmate."

"And how would this affect me?" Malfoy snorted, breaking the gaze. "I'm not going on a bloody girl hunt for you Potter."

"This." Harry held up the necklace, and Malfoy turned his eyes on it. "Is a soul crystal. You know what they do?"

Malfoy nodded, eyes not leaving the necklace. "And it... oh shit." He looked up and met Harry's gaze again, understanding in his eyes now. "It was glowing earlier, wasn't it."

Harry nodded.

"FUCK!" Malfoy roared, standing up and slamming the side of his fist into the wall, much in the way Harry had done the previous night. Harry was slightly unnerved by this display of anger, not exactly sure what to expect. Malfoy flopped back into his seat, head in his hands.

"I should have known, I should have recognised the passion, how could I have been so stupid?" Malfoy was mumbling to himself, rocking back and forth lightly.

"I didn't really think it was a possibility either." Harry assured him, an insane part of him (possibly the part that had fantasised about being married to Malfoy...?) wanting to pat the distraught boy on the shoulder, but the sensible half knowing they weren't that close yet. "But... here we are."

Malfoy nodded. "Can I see? Just to... Just to be sure."

Harry nodded wordlessly, slipping the string back around his neck. The second it touched his skin the crystal flared into life, it's brightness almost overwhelming. Harry removed it quickly, the sensation of being burned and blinded wasn't tolerable for long. It was long enough, however, that Malfoy seemed to be convinced, although he also seemed to have gone into shock.

"Here." Harry said, reaching behind the chair and pulling out two bottles of butterbeer. "I think we both need a drink."

Malfoy nodded, grabbing the bottle Harry handed him, and taking a deep swig, a motion Harry imitated.

"How long have you known it could have been me?" Malfoy asked wearily, staring at his butterbeer bottle.

"Since the train station." Harry said apologetically. "It was glowing when you were near me, though at the time I didn't really think it was plausible that it was you. Seemed like some stupid joke. Even when it was down to two, I always expected to see Ginny coming at me."

"Wait... Ginny?" Malfoy blinked, some of his old smirk returning. "The Weaselette? Oh that's rich. How would her darling brother react?"

"A lot better than he's going to react to this matching, I suspect." Harry smiled. Malfoy smiled back.

"So since we're apparently supposed to be life partners or whatever, _Harry_." Draco said, putting emphasis on Harry's first name. "Tell me about yourself."

"Well _Draco. _I like Quidditch, my birthday is July thirty first, my favourite food is steak, and I live with my adoptive fathers; Sirius and Remus Lupin-Black."

"Interesting." Draco mused, smiling lightly. "Though "I like Quidditch"... honestly Harry, I could never have guessed."

"What about yourself then." Harry blushed lightly. "What lies within the Slytherin Ice Prince, what makes him tick?"

"Welllll..." Draco frowned, clearly trying to figure out what to say. "My favourite subjects are Potions and Charms, my birthday is June fifth, my favourite food is Chicken Chow Mein, and I live with my parents and our House Elves." He raised an eyebrow. "Not that you couldn't have guessed that."

Harry nodded. "So... now what?"

"Now... we go to bed, and try to figure this out in the morning. Can you afford to cut your first class?"

"I think so." Harry nodded. Draco smiled.

"Great. Meet you after breakfast?"

Harry nodded. "Sounds like a plan." They drained their bottles, and left.

000

The next morning was not a good one. The day started for Harry with Ron shaking him awake after only an hour's fitful sleep, insisting that he really should get up. Harry ignored him the first two times, though on the third Ron actually levitated Harry out of bed and dropped him, with surprising force, onto the floor beside it. It was a dirty trick Harry had used many times to awaken his friend, and now he understood just why it always woke Ron up.

"BLOODY OW!" Harry yelled, sitting up in shock.

Ron snickered. "Revenge is sweet, Harry. Anyway, come on. I really don't want to miss breakfast."

Harry got up and dressed before going down to breakfast, checking his class schedule when he got there. He was lucky; his period after breakfast today was actually free, making it that much easier to talk to Draco. The thought of Draco brought it all back, and Harry realised with a jolt that Ron and Hermione had no clue what had transpired last night. Harry groaned, holding his face in his hands.

"What's the matter Harry? Is it your scar?" Hermione asked worriedly, touching his shoulder.

Harry shook his head, looking up in what could almost be described as fear. "Ron... remember how you said you'd be here for me even if Dr-Malfoy turned out to be my soulmate?" He said hesitantly, really hoping he didn't have to spell this one out for Ron.

"Yeah... still, I'm glad it seems to be Ginny. Though you'd better bloody not harm my sister!" He glared.

Hermione, however, seemed to understand what Harry was trying to say. "It's not..." She half whispered, mouth covered by her hands.

Harry nodded weakly. "I ran into Draco at the kitchens last night, and the crystal thing was so bloody bright that I had to take it off."

Ron seemed to have frozen, milk and sodden cornflakes dripping lightly from his spoon. He just sat there, staring slackjawed at Harry for a full minute while the bespectacled boy fidgeted, really uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Hermione was stunned too, but she hoisted a smile onto her face. "Well congratulations, Harry. I'm really happy for the two of you."

"Thanks Hermione." Harry smiled gratefully, as she patted him on the shoulder. Hermione, at least, could pretend not to care. Unlike Ron, whose expression seemed to be rapidly morphing into one of rage.

"Ronald?" Hermione blinked, looking at Ron's reddening face. "Ron, are you okay?"

"Okay?" Ron laughed weakly, but loud enough that everyone in the vicinity heard, and turned their attention to these most recent events within the Golden Trio. "Oh-bloody-KAY? How can I be okay? How can YOU be okay, when Harry... and... That blond GIT!" Ron exploded, standing up now.

"Ron!" Hermione pulled gently on his arm, but Ron ignored her.

"And here I thought you would be okay with it no matter Ron!" Harry was standing now too, glaring at his so called best friend, as Hermione looked desperately from one to the other. The attention of most of the Great Hall was on them now; even most of the teachers looked vaguely interested.

"That was before you said it was Draco fucking MALFOY!" Ron yelled back, the glare of his blue eyes meeting Harry's green.

"Yeah, and you said you wouldn't care if it WAS!" He yelled, slamming his hands down on the table, and finally managing to grab the attention of the full hall. Even if they didn't know what was going on, they were still watching with rapt attention. At the Slytherin table, Draco had put his goblet down, and was surveying the scene with some interest, his cold, silver eyes locked on the goings on at the table across the hall.

"I wasn't being serious! This is fucking Malfoy, you can't be saying you actually like this!" Ron cried, and Harry blinked.

"And when did I say this? I'm not exactly over the fucking moon with joy, Ron, I'd just rather not die a painful death, if you catch my drift?" He said sarcastically, at which Ron snorted, opening his mouth to retort, but was interrupted by a new arrival.

"I suppose that since you're going to scream about my gorgeous self in front of the entire school, Weasley, I might as well be present." Draco said in a disdainful voice, glittering eyes narrowed slightly across the table at Ron. Harry blinked at him, slightly confused at Draco's arrival. Though, when he thought about it, he shouldn't really be surprised.

"Fuck off Malfoy, this doesn't concern you." Ron snarled, intense anger dominating his face. Hermione seemed to have given up on trying to tug the redhead back to his seat, and was now sitting down, her face in her hands, elbows resting on either side of her bowl.

"I think it rather does concern me actually." Draco said cooly, narrowed eyes still surveying Ron. "Since you are screaming about me, and at my Fiancée, no less." Draco raised an elegant eyebrow, and Harry blinked at him, more confused than ever.

"Draco, what?" He blinked, all the rage wiped from his face by confusion.

"Just go with it." Draco said relaxedly in an undertone. "It's fine."

"You have no fucking right to be here, Malfoy, FUCK OFF!" Ron yelled, and Draco blinked.

"As I previously stated actually, Mr. Potter here are engaged, as I understand it, and as you are discussing his future with me, as it happens, I believe I should be present." Draco smirked, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist as he spoke, making the boy turn beet red.

Ron's face, however, took on an expression of sheer, unadulterated horror. There seemed to be no words anymore, for the disgust and revulsion he felt. He just pushed wordlessly away from the table, and stormed off, the eyes of the entire school and Faculty following him.

"What the hell was that for?" Harry shoved Draco away. "Jesus Christ, we haven't even talked about this properly yet, and you're already fucking announcing this... this THING to the whole school!"

"Calm down, Harry. It's not as though either of us have any choice in the matter! Besides, the look on Weasley's face was worth it." Draco smiled lightly, and Harry found himself torn. Half of Harry wanted to scream at Draco, and the other half wanted to melt, because the genuine smile - not a smirk or a gloating grin, but a genuine, amused smile - on Draco's face was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Eventually, the only reaction Harry could come up with was an odd sort of sound, that came out as "Blglerk."

"How very eloquent." Draco smiled lightly, that same stunning smile. "Well come on now dearest, I believe people are staring. Shall we go discuss things, by which I suspect I will come to mean scream at each other until neither one of us can speak?"

"Um... sure?" Harry said faintly, and allowed Draco to pull him out of the Great Hall by the hand, the loud buzz of gossip filling the room the instant the door closed behind them.

000

"So." Draco said, flopping down in the chair he had sat in the previous night, Harry sitting somewhat awkwardly in the seat opposite. Now that there was noone watching, Draco had relaxed, and allowed his exhaustion to show. Now that they were closer, and Harry wasn't captivated by Draco's smile, he could clearly see the dark smudges ruining his pale complexion. Draco hadn't gotten any more sleep than Harry had.

"Yeah." Harry said, returning the awkwardness, and both boys laughed weakly.

"You want to try this?" Harry said after a minute of awkwardness.

"Yes." Draco said after a minute. "Soul crystals are usually right, and it's not like I can let you die."

"And here I thought a few days ago, that that was your dearest wish." Harry said, only half joking, and Draco fixed him with an unnaturally intense gaze that made him flinch slightly.

"I never wanted you dead." Draco said quietly, sincerity in his tone and his eyes. "I wanted you to suffer horrific pain, sure, but never to die."

Harry blinked, unsure how to take this newest development. He knew that, at least for now, Draco wasn't a Death Eater. When they had invaded the school last year, and Snape had almost died defending Dumbledore, Draco had merely slipped away, not daring to join the fight on either side. Nonetheless, until recently, all there had been between he and Draco was hatred, a cold, blazing rage that obliterated all else. Right now, they had slipped into more neutral grounds, but hints of the hate remained. Harry had always imagined that Draco's dearest wish was for his death. Though... when Harry thought about it, he had never wanted Draco to die. He had really hit the nail on he head; Harry had wanted Draco hurt, and humiliated, but not dead, never dead. Indeed, Draco had seemed one of the few permanent forces in Harry's life... the one person he could always count on to be there, reliably fulfilling his role as arsehole. It was strange, actually contemplating his feeling for the Slytherin sitting opposite him.

"I... I never wanted you dead either." Harry said quietly, finding nothing better in his brain to respond with.

A minute or two of awkwardness passed, where neither boy quite wanted to look at each other. Up until now, there had been some level where all this soulmate rubbish had seemed like some silly joke. Now, however, it was absolutely real, and staring them right in the face. The fact that through all these years of feuding, they had really been each other's perfect match. They were silent for ten minutes or so, each clearly absorbing the revelation in his own way. Finally, Draco moved slightly, and Harry knew it was safe to look back, and truly see Draco for the first time as some git, but as his soulmate, someone he was fated to be with.

And he inhaled sharply.

Harry had never really noticed Draco physically before, he had been too preoccupied with a hate backed with passion he didn't quite understand. Now that he looked however... Draco was gorgeous. His blond hair was perfect, as always, a few strands falling in his face as though they had been placed there by a God. His silver eyes twinkled with thought, showing the deep intellect concealed in their depths. His face, even by itself, looked as though it had been crafted to be perfect. As Harry's eyes raked unadulterated over Draco's form, he could sense the other male's eyes doing the same to him. And then those eyes met, and Harry knew, in that instant, that Draco thought the exact same things about him. He smiled shyly, and Draco smiled back, a smile, which almost blew Harry away. Draco, however, had other things in mind. He reached forwards, in a manner that was almost thoughtful, and plucked the rounded glasses from his face, staring intensely into those green eyes. To Harry, his eyes had never been anything spectacular. They were just his eyes. To others however, Draco in particular apparently, they were specifically stunning, as Draco drew a sudden breath, sharp diamond eyes meeting fierce emerald.

And then... Harry wasn't sure who started it, or why it had started, or why he cared, but Draco's lips were pressed gently to his, a kiss that part of him had been expecting. It conveyed so much more than Harry could have ever dreamed any one gesture could convey; passion, intense passion, and barely bridled desire, possibly bordering on... lust? And something else, something Harry couldn't quite place. It took Harry a while to respond, something in the back of his head realising that he was being kissed, and may as well enjoy it. At first, he moved only tentatively, not a hundred percent sure where he stood with Draco. Before long, however, that fire took over; the passion that had made them such good rivals, and Harry and Draco were fighting for control of each other's mouths, each one just as possessive as the other. Once tongues got involved, things lulled slightly, the two of them relieving some of the pressure, allowing themselves to relax. And then, as though as one, they realised what had just happened, and pulled apart. Harry couldn't help his eyes from raking Draco's form again, taking in his slightly mussed hair, gently bruised lips, and the light flush that was dusted across his cheeks. Draco smiled lightly, a coy, slightly embarrassed smile that Harry found absolutely adorable.

"Sorry." Draco smiled sheepishly. It was strange... this sort of gently teasing, shy act was something he had never imagined from the Slytherin, and yet here it was. Draco Malfoy could be sweet. Who knew?

"Sorry for what?" Harry asked, totally confused. In his eyes, their kiss had been very much a mutual thing, and he sure as hell wasn't sorry.

Draco opened his red lips to say something, and then snickered slightly instead, catching what Harry had been trying to convey. Harry laughed too, and for a while they just laughed embarrassedly together, bonding in a way they wouldn't have done any other way, really.

"So." Harry said eventually, trying to return to serious grownupland. "You really want to try this?"

"Yes." Draco said firmly, looking Harry straight in the eyes, and he had no doubt that even though Draco was slightly fuzzy (Harry made a mental note to find his glasses. And soon.) he was dead serious now.

"Okay... great." Harry smiled. "We should... talk to Sirius and Remus now. Professor Lupi... oh, you know what I mean. They need to know."

Draco nodded, smiling adoringly at Harry. "Here are your glasses."

Harry blinked in mild surprise as the cold, familiar frames slid back onto his face. They made the world fall into focus, and Draco smiled, no longer in that dreamy, hazy world anymore.

"Better?" The blond asked, standing up and offering Harry a hand.

"Much." Harry smiled, taking it to help himself up, and didn't let go all the way to Remus's quarters.

_A/N: I'll leave off their conversation with the "parents" until next time, I think it can wait. Aww, aren't Harry and Draco cute? I just wanna hug them! _

_Oh and yes, I threw some backstory in there, mostly for the hell of it. As time goes by I'll reveal more about the AU these guys live in. For now, if you want to know about Sirius and Remus' portion of that backstory, go read Canine Affinity and Lupine Attraction :D _


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Woo more fanfic:D This thing is getting to be quite wordy, and I'm very proud of my efforts. I getses a gold star and a smiley face! -thumbs up and childish grin-_

_Low sanity levels aside, feel special. This story pretty much owns my life now, I haven't done much of anything the past few weeks but write. Hopefully, if I continue these efforts, this story will be posted before my annual holiday to the western half of this fine island, to visit relatives with dialup and next to no computer time allotment. I will survive this sanity-testing experience through the presence of my third cousin removed or whatever, Emily, who is my partner in awesome. And with a LOT of handwriting. In the sincere hope that my cousins don't find said handwriting. -crosses fingers- Haha they're all under the age of ten, except Emily. It'd break their brains. :D They're total sweeties though, I can't wait! My aunt had another baby recently, and I can't WAIT to meet her! Excitement!_

_As ever, _Paulina Rubio. _I don't know what it is about this song that's so inspiring, but since it's making me write, I'm not gonna complain. D_

**From Within**

Remus Lupin-Black was enjoying a cup of tea in his office, a cup of tea that sadly, was to become cold and forgotten on the end table, when a knock on his door caused him to place it gently down on it's coaster, putting his book aside also, and getting up to answer the door.

He was met with the somewhat strange sight of his adopted son looking mussed and embarrassed, his hand clutched tightly in that of an equally dishevelled Draco Malfoy. Remus quirked an eyebrow, wordlessly allowing the two boys into his quarters.

"Hi, Remus." Harry smiled, in that endearingly shy way he had. "I... er... well..."

"Congratulations." Remus smiled, needing no further clarification. "Should I go get Sirius?"

"Yeah." Harry smiled gratefully, leading Draco over to the sofa. The boys sat down as Remus left, looking for Sirius, who was god-knows-where.

"I wish my dad was that understanding." Draco said vaguely, not letting go of Harry's hand as the two boys sat down.

Harry shrugged. "Remus never really stopped trying to get me to accept him as a dad. He's raised me since I was a year old, but he still doesn't really feel right about it." He sighed, staring at his lap. Harry had discussed Remus' constant struggle for acceptance with Sirius only once, but had gained valuable insight into him that one time. According to Sirius, Remus had never really stopped vying for acceptance among the Marauders either. It was, apparently, a werewolf thing, and Harry and Sirius had both learned to get used to it.

Both boys were silent for now, lost in thought about their respective fathers, until the door creaked open, and Remus re-entered the room, Sirius bouncing along behind him, feathers and glitter in his hair for some unknown reason nobody really wanted to think about it.

"Harry!" Sirius cried, flinging himself at the boy. "You're okay!"

"Fine, Sirius, really. Just choking." Harry smiled, removing his hand from Draco's to push Sirius away. The animagus staggered back a couple of steps, then flopped elegantly onto his backside and remained there, grinning lightly, his hair falling haphazardly into his handsome face, a look which, Harry noticed, always made Remus slightly breathless.

"So this is the guy then?" Sirius said interestedly, surveying Draco. "He any good?" He asked casually, brushing his hair away, to look properly at the fidgeting blond.

Harry grasped Draco's hand again, for some unknown reason, and it apparently calmed him, Draco smiling slightly at Harry.

"I think so." Harry said slowly, returning the smile, eyes not leaving Draco's.

Remus and Sirius both smiled also, both reliving the memory of their first kiss as though it were yesterday, the memory of that beautiful day rushing through both of their minds. Sure, at the time, it had been somewhat world-shattering, but in retrospect, it was the best thing that could have possibly happened, as the two of them were now happier than ever with each other. Hopefully, with a little luck, Harry and Draco would achieve something like they had.

Eventually, Harry and Draco disengaged their locked eyes, looking away from each other, blushing sheepishly. "Sorry." Harry added embarrassedly, and Sirius laughed slightly, remembering when he and Remus had looked at each other the exact same way.

"So tell us about yourself Draco." Remus smiled, changing the subject. He clearly already knew all about the Slytherin, but was testing Draco, to see if the boy could stand up to it.

"Well... My favourite subjects are Potions and Charms, I'm an only child, I believe Sirius here is my... cousin?" He said, pausing for a moment, and Sirius nodded lightly, before Draco continued. "I don't have any real plan for my future right now. I'm Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team, have been for six years. Oh, and I like pudding." Draco smiled a slightly angelic smile, and Sirius laughed.

"I like this kid." He smiled. Remus nodded, getting up and picking up his now ice cold milky beverage from earlier.

"I'll go make us all a cup of tea. How do you take yours, Draco?" Remus asked, heading over to the kitchen area connected to the lounge room of his and Sirius' quarters.

"One sugar, no milk." Draco smiled, and Harry blinked. That was the exact same way he had tea. Remus seemed to notice slightly, because a barely concealed smile appeared on his face.

"So Draco... did you have any... feelings for Harry before?" Sirius asked lightly, flicking his hair back elegantly. Draco hesitated, a slight uncomfortable look on his face.

"Uh... We were rivals, so not really any personal feelings... but I always thought he was hot." He muttered, looking determinedly away from Harry, his cheeks red. Harry blushed too, but decided to save what face he could.

"Even now, I don't know how I feel about Draco." He said, attempting to look serious. "It's been less than twelve hours, you can't jump from hate to love just like that."

"I suppose." Sirius shrugged, but Harry could tell he detected the truth; that Harry was falling in love with his supposed rival, at a rate that scared him more than a little.

"Here's the tea, boys." Remus smiled, returning with two steaming cups, which he handed off to Harry and Draco. Both boys smiled gratefully, and sipped their tea as Remus smacked Sirius lightly, making him get up for his own drink. Harry sighed. All he had wanted through his whole childhood was to one day find someone who completed him, like Remus and Sirius had with each other. Now, it seemed, there was no chance of that. Sure, Draco could be nice enough, when not being a git, and he was a good kisser (Harry blushed slightly at this thought) but could he really have any chance at being a perfect partner? Harry sighed, watching Sirius and Remus now chasing each other around laughing, tea forgotten, slapping lightly at each other with magazines. Harry could never imagine he and Draco doing something like that, or even living any life together at all. Before, it had seemed like all those years of hatred had just evaporated, but now they were back full force, nudging at Harry, tormenting him with the memory of all the horrible things Draco had done to him, Ron, and Hermione in the past. He didn't quite dare look at Draco in that moment, afraid that he would see the bully of all his years at Hogwarts, the face that he had despised for so long, and afraid that he would see the man he was falling for, the face he had seen in crystal clarity earlier, the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

Harry was ripped from his thoughts at a squeak from Sirius; Remus had apparently wrested his magazine from him, and was now battering the fetally positioned Sirius with both of them, while he cried for mercy. Draco snickered, nudging Harry, who turned his head in his direction, but avoided looking directly at Draco.

"Your parents are crazy." He said in an undertone, and Harry sniggered slightly too. Draco was nothing like he had ever been before. He was witty, kind, and gentle, from what Harry had seen these past few hours, and that thought was enough for Harry too look at Draco, who was smiling _that _smile, and see the face he was falling so fast for. Harry could feel his own face melting into a smile too and, forgetting that Remus and Sirius were present, pressed his lips lightly to Draco's in a sweet, innocent kiss.

"Aww." came Sirius' voice from somewhere outside their little happy bubble and their lips tore apart, both boys blushing furiously.

"How sweet." Remus smiled, apparently holding Sirius' hand now. "Reminds me of our first kiss." He said softly, leaning against Sirius.

Sirius laughed. "If you go all mushy, I may have to beat you up. For gods sakes Moony, you're supposed to be a man!"

"Hey!" Remus laughed, swatting at Sirius' arm. "And here I thought I was the woman!"

"Hello? Long hair!" Sirius swished back his glorious hair, as though to accentuate the point. "Besides, you wear the pants, remember? Therefore; man. Or girl in pants. Your choice."

Harry and Draco were both slightly sickened by this exchange. "We should go now..." Harry said, getting up.

Draco nodded, hurriedly following suit. "Thanks very much for the tea. It was nice to meet you!" He called, leaving quickly hand in hand again with Harry, and closing the door quickly behind them.

"I would just like to reaffirm my statement, Harry dearest, that your family is insane."

000

That night found Harry and Hermione doing homework in the common room, while Ron chatted to Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom about god only knew what. Every few minutes he shot Harry a dark look, which Harry determinedly ignored, and Hermione rolled her eyes at, once or twice muttering something that sounded like "Boys..." In a very sarcastic tone. None of Harry's housemates had made a single reference to Draco's announcement at breakfast, something Harry was grateful for. He suspected Hermione had told them not to talk about it, because Neville kept sending Harry shifty glances, but didn't say anything.

This peaceful monotony was broken by the sounds of Seamus Finnigan diving through the portrait hole, making about as much noise as was humanly possible. Pretty much everyone looked up as the Irish boy stood up, flush faced and panting, holding up some sort of sign in triumph.

"I just found this guys, they're floating around the halls! Apparently, some of the Hufflepuffs are organising an underwear party for the fifth, sixth, and seventh years! It's tomorrow night, in the Room of Requirements. Dress code is obvious enough, and apparently it's being ENFORCED." He grinned, and the whole common room stared for a minute. Then, several people laughed loudly, several others shook their heads and complained loudly, and still others just returned to what they were doing, Harry and Hermione among them. Neither paid any further thought to Seamus' announcement, until Harry was in his dorm that night. Ron had already gone to bed, and was determinedly "sleeping" with the curtains firmly shut on his bed.

"Bloody hell, that underwear party sounds like heaps of fun!" Seamus grinned, wearing only his pyjama bottoms. "You guys in? I reckon it'd be a good idea if we all go as a team, for fun."

"What time's it start?" Dean asked casually, tugging his trouser leg off his foot.

"Nine PM, and it finishes whenever we all pass out or go to bed, whatever happens first." Seamus responded promptly, sitting on the end of his bed. "I reckon it'll be a lot of fun."

"I'm in." Dean smiled, and Harry could tell why. Although he didn't look like much wearing a shirt, Dean was built like a Roman soldier. His muscles were so finely carved on his dark chest, it looked like they were placed there by a God. _'He should be a model.' _Harry thought idly.

"Me too." Neville smiled shyly. Neville had shot up a lot these past couple of years, and was almost as tall as Ron. He had also lost a fair bit of awkwardness, and started to put on some lean muscle. He was no Dean, but he was getting there.

"What about you, Harry?" Seamus asked, smiling. "It's gonna be great fun. Come on."

"No thanks Seamus. I'm not in a partying mood right now." Harry frowned, sitting down on his bed.

"Bull. You're coming. Think of it as a bachelor party." Seamus announced, making the first reference to Harry's engagement all evening. "What about you Ron, you in?"

"Shut up." Ron grumbled sleepily, and Seamus nodded.

"Great, he's in too. So smarten up lads, tomorrow you've gotta wear your very best undergarments."

000

The next morning by the time Harry and the others woke up, Ron had already dressed and exited the room. Harry fumbled his way sleepily into some clothes and dragged himself downstairs, his inexplicable sluggish grouchiness not made better by Seamus bouncing excitedly, and discussing underwear with Dean, who was just making noncommittal noises, such as "mmhmm" or "Really?"

"This is gonna be great!" Seamus grinned, slinging an arm casually around Harry and Dean's shoulders. "Tonight we're gonna tear it up!"

"Yeah!" Neville grinned, Dean adding him to the chain.

"My my Nevvy dearest, I never would have picked you as the deviant kind!" The vibrant Irish boy grinned, waggling his eyebrows. Neville turned scarlet, clamping his mouth shut, and Seamus laughed heartily.

Seamus was so efficiently picking up the mood, making things all seem fun and light, that Harry actually forgot all about his problems until they reached the Great Hall, where Ron and Ginny were glaring at him from their seats together by Hermione, who was reading impassively, and Draco was staring at him intensely, clearly not paying attention to a word Pansy Parkinson or Gregory Goyle were saying in their argument. (Which, Harry had gathered, was about what flavour the cupcakes were. Clearly, this was a very serious topic, and was worth the snarling and horrific verbal bashings from both sides, albeit they were better phrased from Pansy's corner.)

Harry took a seat with Seamus, Dean, and Neville, who immediately started conversing happily about something, Harry wasn't paying much attention. His staring vacantly at a plate of toast was interrupted by an eagle owl landing sleekly in front of him, and sticking out it's leg, a fancy looking note folded neatly to it. Harry took the letter uncertainly, opening it carefully so none of his friends would see, just in case.

_Harry, _it read.

_Professor Lupin-Black contacted me last night to talk about this engagement mess. He said that since we both have Defence first period we have permission to skip, and talk to Dumbledore about things. I would like to talk to you about it first though. Grab some toast and meet me by the lake._

_Also, I think courtship is important. As tomorrow is Saturday, I was wondering if you would like to join me in Hogsmeade? Nothing special, just getting a cup of tea and getting to know each other better. _

_Draco._

Harry looked up, green eyes blinking behind his glasses. From across the hall, Draco met his eyes and his eyebrows twitched once, briefly, before he got up, making an excuse of some sort, and left the Great Hall. Harry, still reeling slightly from how powerful that simple movement had been combined with the intense eye contact, got up and followed after a quick excuse, taking a few slices of toast with him. He walked down to the lake contemplating silently, wondering possibly for the first time, how Draco was really coping with all this. Harry had been totally wrapped up in how he was feeling about all this, and hadn't even thought of Draco's feelings.

There had to be something there though, right? Some of the looks Draco had given him... the hand holding, the kiss - Harry's heart sped up slightly with this though - these things were real, so surely Draco felt something. What, though? This had been pushed on him just as much as it had Harry, and it really wasn't worth it. In fact, as Harry walked down to the lake, all he could think of was just how not fair this was to Draco, and how stupid, how selfish Harry had been for inflicting all this on him. By the time Draco came into sight, smiling that gorgeous smile and walking over to Harry, he was seconds from fleeing, utterly convinced of how horrible he was.

"Hey." Draco smiled warmly, walking up to Harry. "I'm glad you brought toast, I forgot. I sent that letter at about six in the morning, so it wouldn't look suspicious that my owl flew from me straight to you. Not that it really matters, but still."

Harry blinked, so lost in his own feelings of guilt and sorrow that he couldn't quite understand Draco's cheerful tones. "Huh?"

Draco smiled. "Lost in thought? I do that too sometimes. It's nice to just drift off to somewhere less complicated, isn't it?"

"Uh... yeah." Harry said awkwardly, silently thinking that his mind was hardly less complicated than his real life.

"So anyway... I asked you here so we could really talk about all this engagement stuff. I'm fine with everything, as long as we don't tell my dad. He'd chop me into pieces, and then make dumplings out of the pieces, and feed the dumplings to House Elves, and then kill the House Elves."

"Don't say that in front of Hermione." Harry said automatically, smiling in spite of himself. "But how can you be fine with this? You're getting married to someone you barely even like, without even any time to prepare for it! This isn't exactly the most fine situation."

Draco blinked, slightly shocked at Harry's outburst. "Uh... oh jeeze Harry. You have to understand this... until the other day, my whole future consisted of marrying some pureblood girl, probably Pansy, raising some brats, and being evil. Anything's better than that. At least this way I have some chance of being happy, even if Father does hire people to kill me. I mean... you are my soulmate, right?" Draco smiled a shy smile, cheeks flushed slightly, though Harry couldn't quite tell if it was from the cold air or not. Either way, he could feel lots of his fears all lifting at once, and a relieved smile spread over his face, happiness etched in every crease of his face.

"Oh thank God... I was so worried you were going to realise how big a mistake this is, and leave me to die or something." He smiled, almost weak with the lifted weight of the worries that had all pressed down on him at once.

"Of course not!" Draco blinked. "Harry... I don't know much about you, but I really like you, and I want to give being with you a go, at least. It's not like I have anything better to do and frankly, I think it could work. You're entitled to feel however the hell you want about me, but I really don't want you to be dead, thank you very much."

"Thanks." Harry smiled, and found to his embarassment that his eyes were wet. "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear all this. I've been so stressed out, and every time I stop to think about things my head fills with doubt, and I feel awful for dragging you into this."

"Hey." Draco said warmly, wrapping his arms around Harry. "Don't. This isn't your fault. You're improving my future a great deal actually. So don't be sorry for any of this, it's nothing you could control. It's not your fault."

Harry smiled embarrassedly, wiping his face quickly as the bell to signal the start of class tolled behind him. "There's the bell. We should go talk to Dumbledore."

Draco nodded, smiling, and pressed a reassuring kiss to Harry's lips first, which Harry returned almost desperately. Harry had no idea where he stood with Draco still, but _damn_ that man could kiss.

The two boys walked up to Dumbledore's office hand in hand, relieved that by the time they got back to the school, the corridors were empty and everyone was in class. They went straight to the gargoyle, Draco gave the password ('_Lemon-Lime Candy Webs'_) and they ascended the stairs together, pausing for a moment at the top before knocking on the door. This was it; once Dumbledore was told there was really no going back. He would organise the wedding, and they would be married, and that would be that. The end. After a moment of just staring at each other, understanding and trust, and something else; something deeper flowing between them, they both reached forwards and knocked at once.

"Enter." Came Dumbledore's cheerful voice, and Draco pushed the door open...

000

Albus Dumbledore read the two letters over again. Well well... this was interesting. The first was the medical report he had received from Healer Ewan Walker, telling everything that needed to be said about Harry's condition. It was a horrible affair, and only increased Albus' hatred for Voldemort. Still... He couldn't help but wonder if some good could come of this. The power of love was a strong one, and if Harry tapped into that, he would be practically unbeatable. As Albus pondered all this, he turned to the letter he had received that morning from Remus, an urgent communication regarding Harry. As Albus had already known, this mystery soulmate was none other than Draco Malfoy, and according to Remus they had talked things through, and come to an agreement as to what the future held for them. Apparently the two were coming to see him soon and, truth be told, Albus couldn't wait for the meeting.

A knock at the door pulled the old man from his reverie, and Albus quickly pulled his socked feet from the table, slipping them into his loosely buckled shoes. He stuffed the letters into the open drawer, and called; "Enter!" in the most cheerful fashion he could muster.

The door opened, revealing a nervous looking Harry and Draco who - Albus noted, with some elation - were holding hands, even if they did try to conceal it by standing close together, so the folds of their robes covered the hands.

"We came to see you sir regarding our... er... arrangements." Harry blushed, staring determinedly at the floor.

"Come in! Come in!" Albus said cheerfully, and the two boys entered, walking nervously past the many whirring artefacts to sit down in the two chairs facing Albus' desk. The old man smiled at them from across the table, and both boys smiled back awkwardly.

"So." Albus said seriously, looking them both in the eyes. "You are engaged."

Harry nodded awkwardly, their hands no longer connected, but their feet unconsciously touching each other reassuringly.

"Congratulations." Albus beamed, smiling warmly at the two. "I assume Mr. Malfoy is fine with the whole state of things?"

"Absolutely fine." Draco smiled, meeting Albus' eyes for the first time. "I couldn't be happier with all this."

"Bravo! Have you got any idea when you would like the wedding? How many people you would like attending?" Albus smiled. Both boys blinked, clearly having not thought of this. They looked at each other, evidently communicating with their eyes. So young, only just starting their relationship, and already they were reading each other's gazes, speaking without words. It was sweet beyond words.

"The Healers said the sooner the better, so maybe... a week?" Harry said hesitantly, looking at Draco.

The blond nodded. "And nothing too big, just a few friends and the like."

Harry nodded. "I suppose we should make lists."

Draco smiled. "Good idea."

Albus beamed. "Well, I'm sure we can work this out. Bring me your lists tomorrow, preferably including who you would like to act as best men and grooms men and all that, and I can set it up for you. You two need to focus on each other right now, and enjoy getting to know each other on this whole new level." He smiled. "I suggest you head off to class now. Even if you don't exactly need it, both of you are so talented, Defence is still a good class to attend."

Harry nodded. "Thank you sir. You've been very helpful." He smiled, getting up as Draco did the same and they both left, leaving Albus smiling thoughtfully at his closed door in an empty office, contemplating on just how happy those two were going to be together. And how many less fights he would have to deal with.

000

"Well that wasn't as bad as I thought." Draco smiled, as the gargoyle shut behind them. "I can't think of who I want coming though. It's not like I want my family to come."

Harry touched his shoulder soothingly. "You've got my family now. I know Sirius and Remus are mad about you already, they're thrilled we're getting married. It's all going to be fine, just stop worrying." Realising that it was his turn to be comforting, Harry kissed Draco's forehead, noticing that Draco, while more slender and slightly built than Harry, was taller than him.

"Thanks." Draco smiled. "You're so great. I'm really glad this happened." He wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, a blushing Harry reprocating the gesture.

"Me too." He said softly.

_A/N: Aww! Well that was that chapter, these are getting really long. I also had several continuity issues in this one; to finish it off, I had to go back and reread the whole thing, and I rewrote a ton of scenes to make them fit (and I deleted some things I really liked:( damn continuity!) Still, I'm very happy with the outcome, and I'm still so stunned at how well this story is turning out this time around! Yay!_


	7. Chapter 6

_A/N: -jumps up and down excitedly- xX-Fiona-Xx and I are going to the mall tomorrow for her birthday! Yeek! EXCITEMENT! -excited squeel- Oh, and if you wonder who Su Li is she's not an OC, check the HP Lexicon, she's one of the other Gryffindors in Hermione's year._

_Warnings: Gratuitous fanservice, from men and women alike. ENJOY._

_Disclaimer: These characters and settings are copyright to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, Scholastic, and Warner Bros. I'm not any of those people. Damn. _

_Musical Thankings: This chapter was 'written' by two musicians. One is the incredibly talented _Robbie Williams_. And no, I don't mean his new crap like _Rudebox_, I mean the classics. _Mr. Bojangles, Beyond the Sea, Something Stupid_. Oh, I have immeasurable amounts of love for this man's voice x3 The other singer I have to thank is _Nick Cave (and the Bad Seeds.) Red Right Hand_ is an incredible song, and always lifts me up, whereas _People Aint No Good_ is very angsty and mellow, and good for writing the less happy scenes. Love love love love. Oh, and of course _Into My Arms_. x/3_

**From Within**

That evening, Harry sat on his bed, chewing the tip of his frayed quill, the list in front of him. He had written down Ron as his best man, hoping that the redhead would have come around by then. He put Hermione as his groomsman, and as far as invitees went he had written Seamus, Dean, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and of course Sirius and Remus. He wasn't sure if he should bother with anyone else, or if it was wiser just to keep it small, a bare minimum. He was interrupted by Seamus leaning right over him, placing his grinning head atop Harry's mess of black hair. The Irish boy was noticeably clad only in black silken boxers, which brushed against Harry's school pants as he sighed.

"Come on Harry, it's time to get changed! This party's gonna be great, you can't miss it!"

"I'm busy Seamus." Harry sighed, though it was just an excuse, and they both knew it. Harry had been staring at the mostly blank paper for half an hour, and really, there was noone else to even consider inviting. He had made a few distant friends through his school years, such as Ernie Macmillan, or Parvarti Patil, but anyone who really counted in Harry's eyes had their name on that piece of paper. Seamus continued looking at Harry from above, knowing he was about to crack, and eventually harry sighed, flopping his head onto the bed.

"I must be crazy." He groaned. "Fine. I'll bloody go." With Harry's reluctant consent, Seamus jumped off, grinning.

"Excellent. Off with yer pants then, and we'll be ready to go."

Harry rolled his eyes, kicking off his shirt and trousers, trying to pretend he wasn't embarrassed. Dean was standing around, apparently oblivious to the fact that he was a glistening tower of muscles and The Envy Of Every Guy Ever. Harry was sparsely muscled from Quidditch, and running around, but he was nothing compared to Dean. He wondered how the hell he did it. It wasn't like there was a gym or anything to work out in. Maybe Dean was just naturally buff.

He didn't seem to notice, however, smiling at Harry. "Hurry up, we've gotta get going."

Dean had always been relatively shy, compared to his constant companion, Seamus, and it had always seemed to fit him. Now however... the body and the personality didn't match, and it was strange.

Harry mentally shook his head, attempting to stop these thoughts. Okay, Dean was gorgeous. Harry would have to accept it and move on. And strangely, Harry realised, although Dean was incredibly good looking, he didn't stand out to Harry the way Draco did. Draco looked to be made up of pure beauty, no matter what he was doing, in a way nobody else ever had to Harry. It was strange.

Harry continued to think these thoughts while Neville removed his clothes, stripping down to only a pair of slightly ragged white boxers. Harry vowed to himself to stop admiring his dorm mates, he was getting married in a week.

Married. That word still felt like a slap to the face.

But no. Harry mentally shook himself again, and smiled at Seamus, deciding to enjoy being single while he could. "Where's Ron?"

Seamus shrugged. "No idea, but he said he's coming, I talked to him earlier today."

"Thanks Seamus." Harry smiled.

"No problem, bud." Seamus smirked. "After all, as we're making this your bachelor party, and as I assume Ron's your Best Man, he should probably be here."

Harry nodded, smiling lightly. "Thanks Seamus. And thanks for not making a big deal out of this."

Seamus shrugged. "Well I figured you would need someone to keep things happy. I'll ask questions later." He gave a roguish wink, and Harry laughed.

"Seriously." Seamus whispered into Harry's ear. "I wouldn't want anyone asking what Dean and I get up to."

Harry blinked, blushing. He had never really thought about it that way, despite all Ron's jokes... but now that he actually did, Seamus and Dean's friendship was scarily close; the two boys were practically part of each other. Why hadn't Harry noticed this before?

Seamus smiled slyly at Harry, walking away from him with a final pat on the bespectacled boy's shoulder, to go talk to the hulking mass of muscle that was Dean Thomas. Seamus said something in an undertone and Dean laughed heartily, as Harry watched, transfixed. They were so intimately close, something that had always just seemed a part of the two boys was now thrown under a new light as Seamus murmured something, his hand innocently brushing Dean's arm and chest, and Dean blushed, laughing nervously. Seamus grinned and walked on past his dark skinned boyfriend, hand trailing across his chest so sleekly that Harry only noticed there was anything strange about it at all because he was looking.

"Hey Ron!" Came Neville's voice, and Harry looked up to see his best friend entering the room, determinedly ignoring Harry to get changed. He tugged off his clothes in a hurry, revealing tattered orange boxers, and then stood up, glaring irritatedly at Seamus.

"This is stupid." He said, folding his arms over a fairly average, gangly chest with a few sparse orange hairs.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were talking to Harry." Seamus said lightly, folding his clothes neatly on his bed. Ron blinked, and his ears began to redden. Harry frowned, suddenly inexplicably, horrifically angry.

"It's not like I had any fucking choice, Ron! It's Malfoy or death, so suck it up and deal! This is happening, whether you're there for me or not, and it'd make it a hell of a lot easier if you were. You're my best friend, and I'd like it if you'd be my best man, rather than some arsehole who blew me off just because of who I was forced to marry!" He exploded.

Ron blinked for a second, ears now the colour of ripe tomatoes. He opened his mouth furiously to shout some sort of retort, when Seamus stepped between the two of them.

"Easy, easy fellers. No fightin' for either of you. I suggest both of you drop it, and we all head down to this party, where we enjoy ourselves." He smiled brightly. Ron shot Harry one last venomous glare which Harry duly returned, and then they followed Seamus on his path downstairs. In the common room, Lavender Brown, Parvarti Patil, Ginny Weasley, Hannah Katz, Su Li, a few girls Harry didn't recognise, and to the surprise of all, Hermione Granger, were gathered together, all shivering slightly, wrapped in cloaks.

"ONWARDS, LADIES!" Seamus grinned, pointing dramatically to the door and the girls all giggled. Seamus just had a power for making everything fun.

"After you, Seamus." Lavender grinned, wrapping her clothed arm around his waist, where it joined Dean's. Seamus grinned. "Off we go!" He, Dean, and Lavender marched off, followed by the others, Harry avoiding Ron by hanging out with Neville and Ginny, while Ron seemed to have forgotten the whole thing, not taking his eyes off Hermione.

They all chattered loudly as they walked, not caring much about being caught. Along the way they ran into the Ravenclaws, and Luna Lovegood sidled up to Harry, making him stare. She was dressed in a semi-transparent, powder blue teddy, with lime green undies, and red suspenders. Just like Luna, though far sexier than Harry had expected. She smiled at him, falling into step between Harry and Neville.

"Hello there Harry, how are you today?" She asked in her dreamy voice, absently pushing some of her hair back. She was, as ever, wearing the radish earrings and butterbeer corks, obviously to keep Nargles at bay. "Is it true what Draco Malfoy said about you being engaged?"

Harry blinked, swallowing slightly. Despite the rabid gossip hungry tendencies of Hogwarts, this was the first time anyone had asked Harry about his engagement. And well... since Harry was thinking of inviting Luna anyway...

"Yes, I am. Er... complicated reasons. But if it's possible, I'd love for you to be at the wedding."

"That sounds nice, Harry." Luna smiled that not-quite vacant smile. "Congratulations."

"Thanks Luna." Harry smiled. Her acceptance felt good. Seamus had evidently heard this conversation, because he grinned and threw his arms in the air, shifting them from their previous places around Dean and Lavender's shoulders.

"Let's all give a cheer for Harry Potter, soon to be wed!" He yelled, and everyone cheered, applauding. Hermione joined in, Harry was glad to note, but Ron just stared coldly at Harry, cancelling out all the warmth and love from his friends.

Harry was brought back to earth by Ginny patting his back, smiling a sad smile. "Well... if it couldn't be me, I'm glad you at least found someone gorgeous." She smiled. "I hope you and Draco can be happy together."

"I hope so too." Harry smiled. "Thank you all."

Seamus grinned, and gave another rallying cry, and the small group moved on once again towards the party.

000

After a good ten minutes of walking, they finally found the classroom in which this was being held. At the door a large Hufflepuff boy had been posted, evidently to ensure dress code was upheld.

"I'm sorry girls, you'll have to remove those coats." He smiled, and the girls one by one removed their cloaks, revealing beautiful lingerie, which made the boys whistle in delight. Ginny was wearing all bright green, which combined with her vibrant hair to make her looks like some kind of Irish fairy.

Hermione Granger was the last girl to remove her cloak, right after Su Li had revealed a plain black bra and panties, claiming that she didn't own anything fancy. Harry and Ron both held their breaths, Harry not sure he wanted to see this, Ron not sure he could stand not knowing any longer. Seamus Finnigan began a joking drumroll, and Hermione slowly removed the cloak. She took a deep breath and turned around, nervous excitement in her eyes. She was dressed in a black bra with white lace along the top quarter, and what appeared to be a pendant of a woman's profile hanging down from the bow in the centre. Her panties were black with white lace too, and silken black bows at the sides. Seamus gave a wolf-whistle, and Hermione grinned, swaying her hips and arms in a sort of slightly sexy dance to no real music.

Harry glanced over at Ron, who appeared to be close to expiring. His face held an enthralled look, shining blue eyes locked on Hermione, drinking in every inch of her. Hermione seemed to have noticed too, as she danced, her eyes kept on flickering over to Ron.

"Okay, you lot can go in now." The bouncer interrupted, and Seamus led the whole group in, Ron hurrying to walk behind Hermione, like a lovesick puppy. Harry sighed and entered the room, looking around. Hufflepuff and Slytherin had clearly already arrived, as he spied Brooke, Fiona, Birch, and Melissa all conversing loudly in the middle of the room. Hannah went over to join them, receiving a huge hug from a scantily clad Birch as she arrived at the group. Zack and Alex separated from the Ravenclaws to join them too, and they too, received exuberant hugs, Birch and Zack laughing loudly at something or other.

Harry removed his eyes from them, looking around the rest of the room. Everyone was mingling now, Ginny talking with a group of her friends, Hermione and Ron dancing near Birch's group, Lavender, Seamus, and Dean chatting loudly nearby Harry, Su and Parvarti talking to a Ravenclaw girl Harry didn't know. He also saw Ernie Macmillan and Susan Bones in the corner, and nearby them... Harry inhaled.

He should have known he would be there. Nonetheless, the shock was not dulled any when Harry laid eyes on Draco Malfoy, his eyes meeting those silver ones that captivated him so, and Draco seemed to stop his conversation with Blaise and Pansy, who blinked, spying Harry. Their gaze fell on each other, and the rest of the room seemed to vanish. Breaking the intense eye contact, Harry allowed his eyes to rove over Draco's body, and felt the Slytherin do the same. And Harry found himself inhaling again.

Draco.Was.Gorgeous. Creamy skin perfectly stretched over lean muscles, on a slender frame. Where Dean looked as though he had been sculpted, Draco was some divine creation. He had been _poured _into his skin. Harry flashed back to reality, just in time to see Draco slinking over to him, exuding sex from every pore. And this was soon to be Harry's husband. _Wow. _

"Hey." Draco smiled awkwardly, breaking the spell. Harry blinked, then returned the smile with an awkward one of his own.

"Hey." He echoed. "I really should have expected you to be here, huh?"

"Yeah." Draco laughed. "I know the feeling."

And then they both laughed, and the spell was broken, only for them to realise everyone in the room was staring at the two boxer-clad teens, and they both blushed; Draco's cheeks acquiring a light pink tint, while Harry's reddened. "Er." Harry said.

"GIVE US A KISS!" Someone, probably Birch or Fiona, yelled, and Harry and Draco blushed more, sharing an awkward glance. Then Draco smiled, a hungry, devilish smile. He wrapped his arms around Harry's waist, his front teeth showing as his smile widened, and then his lips were pressed to a helpless Harry's in a surprisingly sweet, innocent kiss. The crowd around them cheered, and the party resumed, throbbing music now filling the air.

"Er." Harry said again, having apparently lost the power to say anything else.

"Harry." Draco smiled. "As strange as it may seem, we're going to be married in a week. And married people kiss. Exciting, no?"

Harry smiled slightly. That, at least, meant more kisses were forthcoming. "A bit."

"So have you decided who to invite to this wedding thing? I take it Weasley is your best man?" Draco asked.

Harry shrugged. "If he's talking to me by then. Otherwise, it'll probably be Hermione. And I'm inviting Seamus, Dean, Neville, Ginny, and Luna. Oh, and Sirius and Remus."

Draco nodded. "My best man's gonna be Pansy, and I've got Blaise as a groomsman. I'm bringing Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent, and Fiona."

"You know her?" Harry blinked.

Draco nodded. "We dated for awhile in fifth year. Pansy was absolutely livid. 'Course, that was before I realised I was gay."

Harry laughed. "I'm bisexual. You're my first boyfriend though." Boyfriend. It felt really weird to say that.

"Same here." Draco laughed. "Feels really weird, right?"

"Yeah." Harry laughed too. "I was just thinking that."

"So a small wedding, then?" Draco smiled. "I'm surprised half the school isn't coming."

"I expect they wish they were. Think we should bother letting people bring dates?"

"Nah, it'd just get insane." Draco frowned. "Everyone attending would be mobbed."

Harry nodded. "No dates. Sounds fine. So er... what do you think we should wear?"

Draco shrugged. "Not underwear, that's for sure. No matter how much fun it may be, my father would be livid." He said mockingly, nose expertly pointed in the air.

Harry laughed. "Totally undignified. Even marrying a halfblood... what a disgrace you are!"

Draco snickered. "I guess my initiation will have to be held off then, the Dark Lord will never want a tainted Death Eater. What a shame."

Harry blinked. He knew Draco's father had wanted him to be a Death Eater, but he had never really thought Draco was going to go through with it. "What?"

Draco nodded. "End of seventh year, I was supposed to join him. Guess it's not happening." Draco smiled. "Thank the gods."

"So the only reason you wanted to marry me was to get out of of being a Death Eater?" Harry said angrily.

"We both had our ulterior motives." Draco said quietly, eyes latched on Harry's. "Mine just weren't made as clear as yours. Doesn't matter anyway, made for each other and all."

Harry frowned. Of course, Draco had every right to keep it to himself, his reasons for marrying Harry were his own. "Sorry, Draco. This thing is making me a little moody." And that was the truth, Harry was kinda edgy recently, and had found himself snapping a lot.

"No problem. It's just your time of the month." Draco smirked. Harry glared at him, shocked.

"You suck."

"Not in public, darling." Draco smirked, and Harry choked.

"Er... er..." Harry stammered, and Draco laughed.

"You're adorable." He ruffled Harry's dark hair lightly. "Wanna dance?"

"Uh... sure." Harry blushed slightly, feeling Draco's hands on his waist once again. He had been awful at dancing in fourth year, and was awful at dancing now. Awkwardly, he chose to wrap his arms around Draco's neck. This appeared to be the right choice, as Draco began rocking them gently in time to the music.

_'It's much easier when you're not leading.' _ Harry thought, smiling. Draco smiled back, and kissed between his eyebrows for some reason. It was definitely nice though, and Harry smiled more, shifting his head up to kiss Draco gently, their tongues meeting in a dance of their own.

Harry could feel that this marked some sort of turning point in their relationship, and that things had changed. They had each shared their secrets now, they felt like friends, or even something more. This was stopping being something that was happening because it had to, and starting to feel like something that was happening because it was right, and because it was something they both wanted, even needed, to happen. And Harry liked it. Draco felt like an extension of his body, someone he was falling so quickly for that he had barely even realised it. And, Harry decided, he didn't mind it one bit.

_A/N: Shortest chapter since the first one, but it had to end there. :D Aren't they cute? D'awww._

_D: this chapter was really hard to write, and once again, I had massive continuity issues. DAMMIT DRACO, STOP BEING DIFFICULT! DO WHAT I SAY!_

_Draco: NO._

_Tomo: Castration time!_

_Draco: NO!_

_Harry: NO!_

_Everyone: -stares at Harry-_

_Harry: What? He's my fiancee. I'd like to get some cock eventually._

_Seamus: True dat._


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N: I write from my grandmother's house. It is hot and sticky and I do not like it here. My grandmother isn't exactly nice to me D: Like, calling me a slut on my eleventh birthday not nice. Gaah I wanna go home._

_Warning: THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M/NC-17 ISH. BE WARNED, GRAPHIC SMUTTINESS ABOUNDS. W00T. Porn is AWESOME. _

_Note: Yes, Harry expects Draco to wear a shirt and pants. As opposed to a shirt and no pants, perhaps? I do not know. Perhaps Harry is just having a slow day. Aww._

_Disclaimer: Tomo no own_

_Music: Not sure why, but this was written to _Misery Business _by _Paramore_. Huh._

**From Within**

The next morning, Harry awoke in his bed, exhausted, and yet more alive than he had felt in a long time. Today, he and Draco were going to Hogsmeade.

Harry dragged himself out of bed before anyone, Ron and Neville's loud snores filling the room, while Seamus and Dean were sleeping in their underwear, curled up on Dean's bed, the smaller Irish boy curled inside Dean's protective hold. Harry smiled softly. There really was something about them that just seemed to fit.

Continuing on, Harry jumped into the bathroom, taking a shower and washing himself all over. He was nervous, more than he had expected. He knew he had to make a good impression on Draco today. After showering, he sprayed himself with deodorant, shaved quickly, and, after much consideration, put on a tiny amount of aftershave. Couldn't hurt, he reasoned.

Once bathed, and having brushed his teeth many times, Harry dressed, after a lot of consideration, in a soft blue t-shirt and slightly baggy jeans. Nothing too special, he didn't want to look like he was trying too hard. After wondering exactly how stupid that was, Harry found himself wondering what Draco would wear.

_'Something elegant.' _He decided. _'Draco always dresses elegantly. Maybe... a shirt and pants?' _He frowned. If that was going to be the case, he didn't want to feel underdressed.

Well, too late now. The others were waking up, Seamus stretching and yawning widely, Dean sitting up and squinting around, planting a sleepy kiss on Seamus' nose.

"Mornin' Harry." Seamus said sleepily, slipping his feet onto the floor, and making his companion aware of Harry's presence in one move. Dean sat up, smiling, and rubbed his eyes.

"Morning. That was some party." And it had been. Although Harry had spent the whole time with Draco, everyone else had gotten quite wild, Seamus getting very drunk and starting up a game of 'Kiss me, I'm Irish!' He had received surprisingly many offers, though in the end he just wound up making out with Dean for hours. Hermione and Ron had danced and talked all night, and Ron had gotten more than a little drunk. Hermione had even seemed tipsy. And Neville...

Neville was fast asleep, completely under his blankets. As Harry looked, there was a movement, and a blonde head popped out.

"Oh... Hello, Harry." Said Luna Lovegood vaguely. "I seem to have fallen asleep in your dormitory. Could I borrow a shirt?"

"Er..." Harry blushed. Luna looked to be completely naked. "Maybe you should wear one of Neville's. They're in the trunk at the end of the bed."

"Thanks." She smiled, shifting around to grab one. She buttoned it up completely, fishing her underwear from underneath Neville, and then stepping out from under the blankets. Neville was tall and on the round side, so his shirt went down to the middle of Luna's skinny, pale thighs.

Seamus gave a low whistle. "Way to go, Neville!" He grinned, whacking the blanket lump which gave a yell, sitting up in surprise. Neville rubbed his eyes, not quite sure he believed what he remembered, and then looked over at Luna, smiling and dressed in his shirt.

"Good morning, Neville." Luna smiled, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm gonna go have a shower, see you soon."

"Yeah." Neville said in a quiet, dazed voice. Silence reigned until about thirty seconds after Luna had left, then Neville said in a low, triumphant voice "_Yes!_"

"This means." Seamus announced. "That Harry and Ron are now the only virgins in this dorm. Unless there's something you haven't told me." He waggled his eyebrows, and Harry threw a pillow straight in his face, at the same time as Ron spoke.

"Shut up." Came the redhead's voice, and four heads turned to face him, silence reigning.

And then it was mercifully broken by the sound of Luna singing in a warbling voice, to roughly the tune of 'God Rest Ye, Merry Hippogryffs. _"One day, three Kelpies met a Nargle, strolling down a lane..."_

"Is that... Luna Lovegood?" Ron raised an eyebrow. Neville nodded, grinning, and Ron slapped him an air five. "Way to go!"

Neville grinned. "Thanks."

"So... uh... Harry, know how I'm a total git and all?" Ron started awkwardly, looking his best friend apologetically in the eyes.

Harry nodded. "I'd sorta noticed." He said in a hoarse voice.

"All good now?" Ron smiled hopefully, and Harry laughed.

"I dunno, you were a rather large git. Maybe I should throw things at you for awhile."

"Whatever you need, mate." Ron smiled, and then things were alright.

"So what made you come around?" Harry asked, sitting down on his bed next to Ron's.

"That... er... kiss. I've never seen you so look so happy before." Ron said embarassedly. "I had no idea you really felt that way about him."

"Neither did I, actually." Harry smiled. "I was lucky that my soulmate turned out to be my soulmate."

And then they both laughed, and the day began, Seamus and Dean exchanging barely-covered innuendo, Neville lending Luna some clothes and walking her back to the Ravenclaw tower, where he vanished for quite a long time, and Harry and Ron just enjoying being friends again. Ron even teased Harry about his aftershave. Things were, for the first time since Harry had gotten engaged, normal.

000

Harry was really nervous. He and Draco had agreed last night to meet by the gates at 10:30. It was 10:32. Stupid, Harry knew, but he couldn't help fidgeting anxiously, hopping from foot to foot. What if Draco was waiting somewhere else? What if he wasn't going to show? What if he had gotten HURT, and was DYING right now? Harry jumped up and down more urgently, wishing Draco would show up, so that everything could be alright.

And then, there he was. Draco Malfoy, smiling at Harry from the crowd, walking straight at him. He was dressed in a silken, dark green shirt that matched the colour of Harry's eyes, and black pants with silver dragons winding around the bottoms.

Harry inhaled. Wow. He was one lucky man.

"Hey." Draco smiled, giving Harry a hug, which he returned. "Sorry I'm so late, Pansy held me up asking what she should wear to the wedding. I told her anything, so be prepared for the worst." Harry smiled, not really caring. Draco smelled like cleanness and flowers, only he managed to do it in a manly way. Amazing.

"Mmm." Draco sniffed. "Nice aftershave."

"Thanks." Harry blushed. "You smell really nice."

"Why thank you." Draco smiled. "I try to smell my best."

They turned and started walking as one, Harry jumping slightly as Draco wound an arm around his waist. Harry returned the gesture, and Draco smiled. They walked behind the crowd this way, talking about whatever happened to be there to talk about. About halfway to Hogsmeade, Draco veered off.

"Draco, what-?" Harry blinked, being whisked off the path and onto a slightly trampled grass patch, which seemed to be opening to a small, rarely walked path.

"I know we said Hogsmeade, but I thought something nicer would be... well... nicer." He blushed slightly, smiling all the same, and Harry allowed himself to be led. The path widened as they got further and further from the road to Hogsmeade and finally, in a small grove by a stream, the most magical place Harry could imagine, they came upon a picnic blanket, upon which a meal was set out, ready to be eaten. A butterfly flittered down, and landed on the basket's handle. Harry couldn't imagine anything more perfect.

"Draco, this is... just..." He choked on his feeling slightly, not sure of what to say.

"It's no problem." Draco smiled, seemingly understanding. "I figure our first date should be special, and away from gawkers."

"I love it." Harry smiled, kissing Draco gently. _'And I think...' _He added to himself._ '...I think, I love you.' _It was the first time Harry had used those words, even to himself, and it felt scary. But it was definitely true.

"Fantastic, then." Draco beamed, releasing Harry's waist, only to grab his hand and pull him down, laughing, onto the picnic blanket. Harry fell straight on top of Draco, and pressed his lips to the blond's, feeling the sudden need to claim them. Draco reproicated, shifting slightly so that their bodies were pressed together, every inch of skin they could manage touching. Harry reached up his hands to run them gently through Draco's soft hair, while Draco's deft hands caressed his back, sliding up his t-shirt to brush over every line of Harry's back, as though memorising. _'Nothing,' _Harry thought. _'Could get more perfect than this.'_

Eventually though, Draco broke the kiss gently, planting another kiss on Harry's lips, before smattering soft, butterfly kisses along his jawline, and down his neck. When he got to the hollow at the base of Harry's neck he licked at it gently, nipping lightly at the soft flesh. His hands slid around to Harry's front, boldly reaching up to toy with his nipples. Harry gasped at the first brush of skin on skin, arching his back lightly.

"Like that, do you?" Draco said wickedly, caressing the nubs gently. He nipped at Harry's neck again, and Harry writhed. Draco, clearly enjoying this, flipped them over so that he was on top of Harry now, straddling him so that he had better access to all of Harry's front.

Harry gasped at the sensations flooding him as Draco kissed and licked and bit at his neck, while his fingers played expertly with his nipples. Where had Draco_ learned_ this? On second thought - Harry didn't want to know.

"You had to wear a t-shirt." Draco grumbled and Harry blinked, realising that Draco was trying to remove his shirt. Harry wriggled, trying to get into a better position to remove the shirt. As he did so, his bulge rubbed against Draco's and they both gasped, eyes meeting in surprise. Then, a wicked side Harry didn't know he even had took over, and he wiggled again, Draco gasping and giving a slight moan.

"Harry... please. Don't." The Slytherin said in a strangled voice, trying not to move.

"Why not?" Harry said innocently, moving slightly again. Draco's hips bucked again, a groan escaping his perfect lips.

"Because... because I might not be able to control myself." Draco said, voice strained, tension etched into every inch of him. Harry bit his lip, trying to make up his mind. Should he continue, or stop? If he stopped, their first time would probably be the wedding night, and it would be awkward, although there would be the slightly less slutty aspect of not having slept with each other after only a couple of days. If Harry continued, however, they would be whores, true, but whores having sex in this beautiful place, surrounded by butterflies and birds and trees. It seemed like a logical choice, if a bit reckless.

"What if I don't want you to control yourself?" Harry said, after spending a long time considering the matter and, to emphasise his point, he ground his hips upwards again, Draco drawing in a deep, shuddering breath. This seemed to be all the confirmation needed, because Draco bent down again, his tongue plundering Harry's mouth expertly, hands running across his skin with even more desire, and Harry could tell that, had he still been on top, they would have been flipped right about now. Harry had given his assent, true, but Draco was quickly taking control, hands now fumbling with the top of Harry's pants. Draco still seemed uncertain of whether or not to take the next step so Harry did it for him, his hands finding their way to Draco's trousers, unzipping them, and freeing Draco's straining boxers. That certainly seemed to convince Draco as he hastily unzipped Harry's jeans, whimpering gently against Harry's mouth as Harry's hands lightly brushed along his length through the boxers, the blonde's hands shaking slightly against the zip. Once both pairs of pants were undone they were quickly discarded, along with shirts, and Draco pressed Harry to the blanket once again, their skin pressing tightly against one another, sending sparks through Harry. All at once he felt a strange rush of tingling energy, and it gave him the final conviction to tug Draco's boxers down, tossing them aside.

There. It was done. No going back now. Harry could feel Draco's cock pressed up against him, all hot and strange and exciting, and Draco could evidently feel the excitement too, because Harry was soon devoid of boxers, and their cocks were rubbing against each other. This was good, nothing overly physical or fancy, just... hyglerrrrrb. All coherent thought vanished in Harry's mind as they rubbed together faster and faster, a coil seeming to form in his stomach, and gibberish was spouting from his mouth, words that made no real sense but seemed like the right thing to be saying.

"Oh yes Draco Draco feeeelsogood and oh god I love you, I love you, I love you..." He was babbling, and he could hear Draco doing the same, as their hips thrust together, desperately, slick, sweat drenched skin sliding against each other, and everything was so good, and Harry was going to explode...

And then he came, and felt Draco's cock twitch against his as the blond did too, their seed spurting as one, covering both stomachs. They were both panting as they came down from their climax, smiling somewhat shyly at each other. Harry felt kinda tired now, and would quite like to rest, just for a bit. That, however, was not an option, and after they had a while to catch their breath, Draco kissed Harry gently, then sat up.

"Where's my wand, I wanna get rid of this stuff." Draco stood up, stark naked, and began searching around for their clothes. Harry sat and watched him, and before long, Draco was back with their clothes and he pulled his wand from the pocket of his pants, cleaning them. Both boys dressed, eyes meeting occasionally, and then they would laugh awkwardly, and return to dressing. Harry had never felt this close to anyone before, he felt he could practically read Draco's mind, and that Draco could do the same for him. He also felt better than he had in ages; more energised and pleasant, though that may have just been afterglow.

"So." Draco said once they were both fully clothed, sitting down and pulling Harry to sit between his legs, back to Draco's chest. "Did you mean that, I wonder?"

"Mean what?" Harry blinked, resting against Draco and entwining their fingers.

"Do you... uh... love me?" Harry could practically hear Draco blushing. He smiled to himself, and answered simply.

"Yes. I do. Though now I must ask the same question of you, do you love me?"

Draco smiled, resting his head on Harry's shoulder. "Yes. Absolutely, neverendingly, utterly, brilliantly yes. I love you."

"I love you too." Harry smiled. There. It had been said. No going back now. And Harry didn't mind it one bit.

000

The remainder of their picnic was a lazy affair, the two boys sitting together for hours, eating and occasionally feeding each other, sharing a kiss every so often, but mostly just talking, about everything and nothing. Despite how close he was to Draco, how far their physical relationship had gone, this was the first time they had just talked, with no other motive behind it. Draco was, as it turned out, an incredibly interesting person. He was more intelligent and hardworking than Harry had realised, quite enjoyed chess and reading, loved to take walks alone and be with nature, and, as Harry had guessed, adored everything to do with bathing. Harry smiled slightly at that. Occasionally the two would slip into one of their fights, though without the malice to back it, it seemed more like friendly banter than anything else, and Harry felt more at ease than he had in a long time. They spent all day there, simply enjoying being with each other, and finally, when it was growing dark, Draco looked up from Harry's head in his lap, and sighed.

"We should get back. I can hear the others returning from Hogsmeade."

And Harry could hear them too, a faint distant noise. With a sigh, he nodded, and pushed himself up, stretching as Draco did the same. They packed up the picnic remorsefully and then left the clearing hand in hand, walking out to rejoin the rest of their schoolmates.

"Oh, did I mention, Ron seems to have forgiven me for wanting to marry you?" Harry asked, suddenly realised that he was pretty sure he hadn't. It just hadn't seemed important in that beautiful, peaceful place. Now though, the world had regained it's importance, and it was impossible to ignore the pressing issues all around them, almost like having the Imperius curse lifted. Harry missed it.

"Really?" Draco raised an elegant eyebrow. "Finally decided to take his head out of his arse then, has he?" Draco said casually, but Harry could tell he had picked up on Harry's use of the word wanting, from the way Draco looked at him slyly, the barest hint of a smile on his lips.

"Apparently. Which, of course means that you'll have to deal with a Weasley as my best man."

Draco shuddered. "I expect you want me to repress my gag reflex for our wedding?"

Harry smiled the wicked smile he didn't know he had again. "And what about our wedding night, then?"

Draco laughed. "I suppose I can keep it down that long then. Sounds like a lot of fun, this wedding night of ours." Draco was smiling a minxish smile of his own, and Harry was just piecing together some sort of response in his head, when he heard his name and turned.

"Hi, Harry!" Hermione was waving from a bit behind them. She was running towards them, dragging Ron by the hand.

"There you are!" She smiled when they caught up. "We wondered where you were. I didn't see you in town at all!"

Harry shook his head. "We had a picnic instead. It was fun." He smiled, and could feel Draco smiling too. Hermione flashed him a slightly odd look, but Ron was beaming from beside her. Harry noticed that their hands were still clasped, something neither of them were paying any notice to.

"Harry, mate, you should have seen it! We ran into Neville and Luna in town, they're amazing! Turns out they've been going out for ages, they just kept it a secret. Neville, that bastard, keeping her hidden!"

Harry laughed. "Well, they make a good couple. I'm really happy for them." He felt Draco's hand tighten ever so slightly in his, and knew his boyfriend felt slightly left out. He stopped, and the others all stopped, blinking.

"We should do this properly." Harry said, acting mostly on impulse. "From the start. Ron, Hermione, I would like you to meet my fiancée, Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."

"Pleasure to meet you." Draco said elegantly, extending a hand to Ron first. Ron blinked, then shook it awkwardly.

"Er... yeah, pleasure." They shook hands, then Draco extended his hand again to Hermione, who shook it, smiling.

"It's very nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy. I hope you and Harry will be happy together." She grinned. Draco laughed, one of his rare real smiles on his lips.

"I hope so too." Draco smiled, wrapping his arm around Harry's waist. By now they were a good way behind everyone else, and the four began walking at a decent pace towards the school, talking and laughing freely. Harry noticed Ron and Hermione were holding hands again, and he could feel Draco's arm warm, yet gentle, around his waist. Everything was wonderful.

_A/N: Another short chapter. Sorry. I really would like to get these all out before I leave, so I'm cutting the chapters shorter until further notice. Not to mention I took a break awhile ago, and I'm just getting back into the swing of this story. Also, Tomo wrote a sex scene that didn't stink! YAAY! -does the dance of celebration-_


	9. Chapter 8

_A/N: Holy shit, it is chapter eight. Merry Christmas. _

_Warning: No smut this time. THEY WILL NOT SHAG EVERY CHAPTER, AS AWESOME AS THAT WOULD BE. D:_

_Note: Well shit. Halfway through this chapter my computer crashed and took me right back to the start. BUGGARING FUCK. _

_Disclaimer: Dude, do I even need this anymore? _

**From Within**

After dinner that night, Harry met up with Draco in the Entrance Hall, explaining quickly that they needed to go to the meeting with Ewan together, to help work on Harry's aura.

They opted not to hold hands on the way into the room, where they found the redheaded Healer already sitting down on the floor, waiting for them. He smiled when he saw Harry, and the smile widened at the sight of Draco.

"Excellent, excellent!" Ewan beamed, "You must be Draco. I'm Ewan Walker, Harry's Auralogist. I'm going to walk you boys through some simple meditation exercises to help fix Harry up. First, though, I would like to do another quick aura check, on both of you if possible, to see how things have progressed."

Draco nodded. "That sounds wise. Harry may have improved through... er... my presence." He blushed slightly, and Harry did too, thinking of their picnic that day, and all that had transpired there. Ewan raised an eyebrow, but did not question, waving his wand over the two of them.

Harry winced and shut his eyes, as once again the blinding light enveloped him. Ewan nodded, examining the two of them carefully.

"Well, Mr. Potter." He said, allowing the glowing auras to fade. "You've improved a lot. Most of the holes have healed over, though there is more white than before. Mr. Malfoy, you have a perfectly healthy, very strong Aura, and the connection between the two of you is incredible. When fully joined, you will be extraordinarily powerful, I believe."

The boys shared a look. Extraordinarily powerful? It sounded... awesome.

"Now." Ewan continued. "I would like to start the exercises straight away. If I could get the two of you to sit crosslegged on the floor, facing each other?"

Harry flopped absently onto the floor, Draco choosing to sit down more gracefully instead. Ewan smiled.

"Now, place your palms on each other's hearts. Just gently, that's exactly right. Close your eyes and just focus on the feel of each other; the feel of your hand on a heart, and a hand on yours, creating a circle of energy. Concentrate now, on that energy. Feel it flowing from you to your partner, and from your partner to you. Feel how comforting it feels, your hearts beating together, souls connected. Just relax and feel the energy."

And Harry could feel it. Draco's heart was beating steadily along with his, and he could actually feel the magical energy flowing between them, like a gentle sort of crackling almost. It was amazing. Draco was smiling, he could tell. He could also tell that Draco felt the same way about this he did, that Draco had had eggs on toast for breakfast, and that there was a scratch on his leg that was smarting a bit. It was amazing. He felt a slight leap as Draco realised the same thing and they opened their eyes, gazes locking on each other in shock. This was incredible. The sparking under Harry's hand increased with the intense eye contact, and he pulled his hand away slightly, gasping as he saw multicoloured sparks travelling from him to Draco. A few sparks escaped and danced around them, eventually forming a sort of cloud of sparkles. He and Draco looked around in confusion, but Ewan was only studying them intently, and showed no signs of leaping in to stop this. Although Harry had quickly put his hand back after the first few sparks, they were now multiplying rapidly. Harry and Draco were both looking around, as the bubble completely enveloped them, and then, slowly, they felt themselves begin to rise.

Draco started slightly when he lifted off the ground, and Harry yelped, but they stayed in position, looking round even more wildly, before their eyes locked on each other.

Sharply, violently almost, the sparks merged into a proper bubble of energy around them, and levitated even higher. For a second it just sat there, and then... SMASH! The bubble had acellerated for no discernable reason, and they were flung outside into the cool, night air. Draco gasped, but the bubble just floated there, five stories up, bobbing happily.

"What happened?" Harry asked, his voice echoing crazily off the bubble.

"I just had a passing thought, that it'd be nice to be in the breeze outside, and..." Draco replied, and Harry nodded. He could see the thoughts inside Draco's head if he closed his eyes. It was an odd feeling, and he opened them again, not wanting to pry.

"So think we can fly anywhere else if we want to?" He asked instead.

Draco shrugged. "I think so... wanna try heading to where we had the picnic?"

Harry nodded, shutting his eyes, and focusing on his own thoughts this time. He thought of the little glade, with it's trees, and stream, and the tall grass around them, and of how perfect it was there. This time, both boys yelped, and Draco's knees banged wildly against Harry's as the bubble began speeding off in that direction. When the bubble stopped, it was inches from the ground they had had their picnic on. Draco smiled, and Harry smiled back.

"We can fly. Do you have any idea how awesome that is?" Draco grinned. Harry nodded.

"Absolutely." Harry grinned back, and as one they shut their eyes, focusing on the classroom Ewan used. There was a whooshing, and a bumping of knees, and the boys wound up hovering just over the floor again. Harry looked through the shimmering bubble surface, to spy Ewan getting up from where he had been sitting on a desk, scrawling in a notebook. He was beaming as he crouched down beside them, showing that his canines were very pointed indeed.

"Excellent, excellent! In all my years, never have I seen such a strong connection! Now boys, if you slowly remove both your hands at once, the bubble should go. Be prepared to hit the ground though.

'one, two, three' Harry counted in his head, and heard Draco doing the same, and then the hands were removed, and Harry felt himself hit the floor with a slight bump, and Draco gave a gentle 'oof' in front of him.

"That was brilliant!" Ewan smiled widely. "I won't keep you much longer, only to explain what that was. Your auras are fusing together, and magically, you have gained all the power of each other, and the combined strength is far stronger than either of you alone. Because both of you are incredibly powerful wizards, even I can't imagine everything you can do now. Contact based telepathy, for sure, and possibly even some minor telepathy when you're apart. The flight, I think, could be worked on in time. The bubble of aura won't be neseccary if you work on it enough. Your other powers are something I would like to work on. You will both find, certainly, that your magic increases in power over the next few days. Other than that, just watch out for anything strange, and write it down if you can."

Both boys nodded, and when Ewan was finished, Draco spoke. "Thank you very much, this was really good."

"Not at all." Ewan smiled. "I wish you both the best of luck, I'll see you in two days."

000

As they were walking back, hand in hand, Harry determinedly not looking at Draco's thoughts, one was channeled straight to him, and he blinked.

'Hey, wanna try flying again?' Draco asked silently, looking at him.

'Sure.' Harry thought back, smiling. That was really weird. Would take some getting used to.

Draco clutched Harry's hand slightly tighter, shutting his eyes, and frowning slightly in concentration. Harry closed his too, focusing simply on flying. Even though he was expecting it, he still started when he felt his feet leave the ground, and opened his eyes, meeting Draco's.

'Awesome.' Draco grinned, and Harry laughed slightly. They simply hovered, literally walking on air, on the way back to the Gryffindor dorm, where Draco had insisted on walking Harry. After touching down lightly, Draco gave Harry a passionate kiss, and Harry could feel the light tingling of sparks everywhere they were touching. It was a good feeling.

"Bye." He said, slightly breathless when they finally parted.

"See you tomorrow." Draco promised, waving to Harry before walking off.

Harry found himself standing outside the Gryffindor common room for a good half hour after Draco had left, just smiling.

_A/N: Another short chapter! D: I really want to get this posted though, so deal with it. Once I get back, chapters will resume normal length, I swear. No more short ones. Like this, which is actually stupidly short. More like a chapterlet. Sorries D:_


	10. AN

A/N: So here's the deal. I don't have time to finish chapter nine before I leave. Not even going to try. What I will do is post this author note in it's place, and when I'm done chapters 9 and 10, 9 will go over this author note, and be posted at the same time as 10. Because I'm that cool. Oh yes.

So look forward to more Drarry goodness when I get back. It'll be between mid-January and February, hopefully. :D Have a good New Year, all! Don't party too hard!


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